


The Loveliest Form of Zany

by MorbidMotive



Category: Animaniacs, The Lovely Bones - Fandom
Genre: After Life, Anxiety, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Suicide, Depression, Fluff, Guilt, Healing, Heartache, Hurt/Comfort, If you've read the lovely bones, Kidnapping, Mentions of blood and gore, Sibling Fluff, Suicide, Violence, Yakko blames himself, dot tries to stay strong for their family, i love leonardo dicaprio and he deserves more, officer daniels is totally inspired by teddy daniels in shutter island, then you have an idea of what to expect, this gets dark, will add more tags if I think of them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:02:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorbidMotive/pseuds/MorbidMotive
Summary: My name was Warner, like the movie studio; first name Wakko, because I was drawn to be the wacky one in my family. I was eleven years old when I was murdered on August 18th, 2015.Wakko was your typical eleven year old boy, just... more extreme. He caused chaos with his siblings, eat entire tables of food, and then the table itself, and truly lived up to his name. He was also kind, and polite. He cared for his siblings and would have fought tooth and tail to keep them safe. He was a friendly kid, and he liked to make friends with the studio's employees.But when he's tricked, trapped and killed by someone he trusts, he has to try to accept that he can no longer be in the living world with the people he loves the most, and that he needs to face the seemingly impossible challenge of letting go of his pain and anger in order to move on.
Comments: 68
Kudos: 126





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on if Animaniacs and The Lovely Bones were a crossover. I'm not sure what inspired me to write an Animaniacs/The Lovely Bones crossover fic, but here I am. It won't follow the book or movie exactly, but the gist of the story and the pattern of events will be decently similar.

My name was Warner, like the movie studio; first name Wakko, because I was drawn to be the wacky one in my family. I was eleven years old when I was murdered on August 18th, 2015. My siblings and I used to run all over Burbank if we could escape the lot. We’d run through the streets feeling free as birds. We’d cause chaos but never intentional harm; we were zany kids, not monsters. Not like the man who tricked me, trapped me, and took my life from me; took it from my siblings and my friends.

When I was alive, I liked a lot of things; I liked to eat; I’d eat anything you gave me, anything at all. My brother called me his ‘little garbage disposal’. My sister called me disgusting. I loved them more than anything in the world, and I know they loved me too.

When he was still the CEO, I liked messing around with Plotz. My siblings and I would screw around in his office until the short man’s bald head turned as red as my hat. We’d almost always end up getting thrown out and landing on our butts outside the building. Then, when Ms. Norita took over, things changed. She was a little more… unhinged. I never told my siblings, but she gave me the feeling that she could snap me in half with one hand without missing a beat on her conference call. I think Yakko and Dot felt the same way, though they never said it.

And I liked playing around with Dr. Scratchansniff, though the intention was always to annoy him; which it did. We did like him though; he was always there for us, and always willing to help us when we needed it. Too bad he couldn’t have been there to help me when I needed it the most.

But I wasn’t killed by Mr. Plotz, or Ms. Norita. I wasn’t killed by Dr. Scratchansniff either. Not everyone I annoyed could be seen as a suspect; they may have hated me, but they weren’t killers. In fact, they all came to my funeral. Ms. Norita didn’t cry - and I wouldn’t have expected her to - but the fact that she took time away from her work to attend was as close to sentimental the power-house could get. Plotz didn’t cry either. He hated us, he’d said so many times. I don’t know if he came to the funeral to make sure I was truly gone from his life, or if he genuinely wanted to pay his respects. But when he walked up to the casket, I could have sworn I saw the beginnings of tears in his cloudy eyes. He looked sad; genuinely sad. Even the Grinch had a heart, after all.

None of them had killed me. No, it took a special kind of monster to do what _he_ did to me.

My murderer was an employee at the studio; someone my siblings and I had crossed paths with hundreds of times, but never would have expected could do any harm. He was a tour guide; Andrew Marsh. All day he’d drive around all parts of the movie lot explaining interesting facts to tourists looking to get their money’s worth and maybe, just _maybe_ get a peek at a celebrity.

We’d spoken to him several times; he always came to work with a large, refillable cup of coffee to keep him up through the day. He’d mentioned he worked at night, but he never mentioned just what it was he was working on. I had to find out the hard way.

_Oh, hey there, Wakko! Didn’t mean to startle you._

_Hiya, Andy! Why are you still here? It’s late._

_Well, I’ve been working on a little project and it’s finally finished! I was going to wait until morning, but since you’re here now, would you mind taking a look and giving me your opinion? It won’t take long, it’s real close by; just a couple of minutes._

Andy always wore a rose on his hat that he'd picked from his own garden. There had been a few times he’d brought Dot a small bouquet of flowers he’d chosen from his garden's variety himself. _For you, my dear_ he’d say. Dot would take the flowers and smile; she’d keep them in her room on her nightstand for as long as they’d last. The idea of his flowers near her bed makes me sick now; in some way, it’s as though he’s right there beside her when she’s vulnerable. It brings out the big brother in me, and I feel the need to protect her.

But I can’t protect her, not anymore. I can’t hug her, or tell her how pretty she looks when she tries on a new dress, or hug her when she wakes up scared and crying from a nightmare. I can never be there for her - my baby sister - ever again. I’d give anything to hug her just one more time and tell her I love her.

And Yakko. Yakko was my big brother, my best friend. He was the person I could go to whenever I needed something, whether it was needing help getting something from the top shelf or needed him to hold me when I was scared or overwhelmed. Yakko was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a parent. Having Yakko there meant I was safe.

I miss him. I miss him so much and if there was ever a time I needed him here with me it’s now. I wish he could be here to hug me and tell me everything’s going to be okay. He’d rub my back and hold me close and whisper that _It’s okay, Wak, everything’s gonna be okay. I’m here, I’ve got you. It’s okay, sweetheart_. But it’s not okay now. Everything’s _not_ alright and Yakko’s not here. Wherever _here_ is, I’m alone, I’m scared, and I miss my family.

Everything was fine, everything was as it should be. All it took was one moment, one stupid decision to change everything.


	2. Be careful what you wish for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for future reference, there will be chapters that aren't from Wakko's P.O.V, but rather third person.

_I remember the last day of my life. Looking back I wish I could have warned myself; I’d been so unaware of the danger and the pain that was patiently waiting for me just around the corner._

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring in my ears yet again. I couldn’t remember if it was the third or fourth time it went off; all I knew was that I was going to snooze it once more. When I went to silence it, however, I noticed that it was missing. Peeking an eye out from under my pillow I saw my older brother, dressed in his smokey topaz slacks as usual, standing in front of me holding my alarm clock.

“You’re not snoozing this again, Wakko Warner, it’s time to get up.”

With a great and dramatic moan I let my head crash to my mattress once more, and pulled the pillow over my head as if it would make Yakko and the alarm clock go away.

It didn’t. Instead I felt him yank the pillow off and pick me up under the arms. To make things difficult, I made my body go limp, and I could feel him struggle. I thought I had the upper hand, until he scooped me up with one arm behind my back and the other under my knees.

“This kind of behavior is the very reason you’re stuck going to summer school,” Yakko had said.

Dot, being a typical younger sister, cheerily sang out “And we’re noooooot!” as she walked by.

“Don’t egg him on, Dot.” Dot, and her stupid smirk, walked away towards the kitchen and Yakko finally put me down.

“Get dressed. I made waffles for breakfast, you have enough time to eat before you have to leave."

He walked out the door before I could say anything to him, but I grumbled anyway. I can’t help the way I am! I was drawn to be a wacky, over-eating, over-sleeping and energetic boy; as far as I’m concerned, I was doing my job.

Nonetheless, I trudged over to my dresser and took out my blue sweater, and pulled it over my head as I walked to my bed. I grabbed my red cap (I never went anywhere without it) and put it on backwards as usual, and I grabbed my camera too. I may be stuck in summer school, but it was still summer. My friends and I liked to hang out together after classes, and we’d take pictures to remember the spare moments of fun that we’d actually get to have that summer. I could have just used my phone for it now, but I liked using my camera more. I liked to print my pictures and put them in my books so I could look back on the good times when I was stuck in the bad times.

Besides, Yakko had given it to me for my birthday a few years ago, before touchscreen phones were something everyone had. It was special to me.

Throwing my camera into my hammerspace I went into the kitchen to swipe some of the waffles (by some I meant all. I was a growing boy, after all; I just didn't grow). Yakko and Dot had already taken their waffles which meant the rest were mine. I poured an ungodly amount of syrup onto my stack of waffles before throwing them into my mouth; plate, silverware and all.

Maybe I should have eaten a bit slower, because when I finished my breakfast Yakko looked at me and said “Alright, now that you’re done with your breakfast, you should get heading to school.”

I groaned again, long and exaggerated (as was my specialty) and said “Do I really have to go, Yakko? Why does it matter anyway? I’ll be back in school in the fall, I can just learn everything then! Besides, who wants to learn during summer break? It’s not fair!”

“Life isn’t fair, pal,” Yakko had said before taking another sip of his coffee. He hadn’t even looked up from his newspaper; he was used to my whining by then. “And nobody wants to learn during their summer break. Most people don’t want to learn during the school year either, but they do, and they get to spend their summer having fun. Those who choose not to learn during the school year have to learn during summer break.”

“That still doesn’t seem fair,” I’d grumbled.

“Remember that when school starts next fall and maybe you won’t have this problem,” he said. He was looking at me now, and he was smirking that stupid, annoying smirk. The one that made sure you knew that whatever you said, whatever argument you made, there was a contradiction waiting right behind his lips. He was drawn to yak after all, and our animator did not disappoint in that aspect.

I knew I wasn’t going to win with him, and Dot sure wasn’t going to be any help; she always sided with whichever brother could embarrass the other the most in whatever it was we were arguing about. Once in a while we’d team up and tease Yakko, as younger siblings do, but usually she sided with him because she was the youngest; the cute baby sister and his little princess. To me she was a brat; a brat I love very much and would have died for without question, but a brat nonetheless.

_A brat that I wish I’d told that I love her before I left._

I pushed my chair out from the table and put my dishes in the sink. For a moment I considered leaving them on the table for Yakko to take care of, but decided against it; it wasn’t his fault I had to go to summer school, he was just being a responsible older brother. No, I’d save my unjustified vendetta for someone else.

“Try and have a good day,” Yakko said genuinely.

“In summer school,” Dot added with a taunting smirk. I shot a glare in their direction before leaving the tower.

_I wish I’d said goodbye. I wish I’d told them that I loved them._

I jumped off the tower balcony, making sure to tune my focus into preparing my body for impact. Sure enough, my insides turned to jelly for a moment until the shock of the impact was gone, and I began to walk to the entrance of the lot.

As I made my way across the lot I saw one of the tour trolleys coming around the corner. Once it got a little closer, I could see that it was Andy, one of our favorite guides. We didn’t know him all that well, as he’d only started working on the lot earlier this year, but we’d talked a lot and he was nice. He always had a rose on his hat. Usually he’d give it to one of the little kids on his last tour of the day, sometimes he’d simply keep it tucked in place, using the gold metal band that lined the connecting seam of the hat and the bill to keep it from falling out. Above that gold band was the WB logo that every uniformed employee on the lot had embellished on their outfits.

He didn’t really stand out among anyone else on the lot, but he was always nice to us. Sometimes after his last tour of the night he’d drive us around on his trolley for a bit, just to let us have some fun.

As Andy passed by he slowed his trolley down as some of the adults and older kids in the group recognized me from Animaniacs. I waved to them with a polite smile, then waved to Andy with a ‘hello’ before continuing my journey to the five hours of boredom that were awaiting me.

I looked both ways before crossing the street and walking down the sidewalk to the middle school. On my way I ran into my friend Max, a toon blue-jay about my age. We walked to summer school together most days, unless he decided to try and skip classes; Max was just as good at getting himself into trouble as I was, but I knew that if Yakko ever found out about me skipping summer school I’d have a punishment far worse than sitting in a few boring, hot rooms for a few hours a day waiting for me at home.

It wasn’t all bad; a few classes that I’d had I’d enjoyed. Art, music and wood shop were classes that could hold my interest; I just hadn’t had those classes that day. That day I had math, (human) biology and chemistry. Why they made toons learn about how the human body works I still don’t understand. I thought I’d like chemistry at the beginning, but it was a lot of information to take in at once, which made it hard for me to process everything, so I didn’t do so well.

I remember leaning back in my chair during a particularly boring class and thinking _god, just kill me already_.

_They always say to be careful what you wish for after all..._

After school got out at the end of the day, I usually met up with my friends. Not that day though. Buster had a dentist appointment, Charlie’s grandma was in town, so he had to go home right after class got out, and Max just flat out didn’t want to hang out; he wanted to go home and play one of his new video games. That left me to my own devices. I didn’t mind; when I was alone I could get lost in my thoughts and daydreams.

I never told my sibs, but sometimes I liked to imagine myself as someone else in a different life. It wasn’t that I didn’t like my life or who I was - not at all. It was just fun to have different experiences once in a while. I liked the ability to create and control my own world. I could make it happy, I could make it sad, I could make it whatever I wanted to be and if something happened that I decided I didn’t like, I could simply rewind the scenario and change it.

_I wish real life were like that._

Despite being alone, I went to the park anyway. I walked through the flower garden and took pictures of some of the flowers so that I could remember how nice they smelled. I walked further down the park and took a picture of the statue; the goodfeathers were perched on top as always, so of course I took a picture of them too, but I don’t think they noticed.

Eventually I ended up at the playground. I sat on the swings and got a good momentum going before taking a picture of myself on a downwards swing. I was sure it would be blurry, but it wasn’t; my fur was fanned out and wild, but it wasn’t blurry. I didn’t like to delete my photos, not even the blurry ones because sometimes it was fun to try and guess what they were.

I kept swinging for a while; I liked the way the wind felt in my fur - it made me feel like I was flying. When I was done I started taking pictures of the trees. I took pictures from far away, up close, the bark, the leaves, the branches. The pictures were useless to everyone but me, but they were _my_ memories, and I’d create whatever memories I wanted to.

After taking a few more pictures of random things like ants trailing out of their anthills and people walking through the park or passing by on the streets, I noticed that it had started to get dark out. Sure enough I felt my phone vibrate, and I looked to find a text from Yakko saying it was time to come home. I texted him back saying that I was on my way and headed back to the lot.

The sky was a beautiful mix of golds and pinks as the sun set for the day, and I couldn’t help but take a picture of the pretty sunset before leaving. I didn’t know at the time that it would be the last sunset I’d ever get to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter, because things are about to take a dark turn.
> 
> If you like this story so far, please leave a kudos and a comment! Comments really help inspire me to keep up with my stories; why write if you don't think anyone likes your stories, right?
> 
> Also, I have no idea why the second set of notes is here; it was supposed to go to chapter 1 but it won't let me fix it so 🤷


	3. A small hidden room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️⚠️⚠️ !!!!!WARNING!!!!! This chapter includes graphic descriptions of violence, as well as rape and child molestation. If this is triggering for you, please skip this chapter. I'll add a TLDR at the bottom to summarize the chapter so you get a general idea of what happened. ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️

Yakko sat on the couch with Dot, who was engaged in watching Elle Woods show Harvard that she has what it takes to be a lawyer. Yakko on the other hand sat with his arms crossed and an ever-growing frown on his face. He’d told Wakko to come home almost forty-five minutes ago. It was a ten minute walk to the lot from the park - where he almost always went after summer school let out - and he allowed an extra twenty minutes because the boy was so easily distracted that he almost always let time slip away. He almost always returned within those thirty minutes though.

He’d over run his extra twenty minutes before; once when he got a whiff of pizza a few blocks down and spent the necessary amount of time it took to terrorize the staff until they started throwing slices at him, once when he’d sworn he’d seen Don Knotts - who had been dead for three years at that point, but Wakko was positive it was him - and chased the man halfway through Burbank trying to get an autograph, and once when he’d been bitten by a goose, tried to fight it, lost immediately, and spent quite an impressive amount of time trying to outrun the hissing beast.

Whatever the reason was for his tardiness, Yakko didn’t care. He’d given Wakko more than enough time to come home. He’d called, as he always did, and just as always Wakko was too busy with whatever it was he was doing to answer his phone. It made him worry more each time he was sent to voicemail but that just helped to fuel his anger. He couldn’t wait to hear his explanation this time.

Wakko was going to have a lot of explaining to do, and the usual three days of being grounded for making his siblings worry, when he got back home.

* * *

The streets are always busy in Burbank. It can make it difficult to cross the street when the roads are full of tourists and fancy people with fancy places to be, so I usually just play Hop Across; a game my sibs and I made up for when it’s busy like this. Instead of waiting for the light, we’d just jump across the roofs of passing cars until we get to the other side. It’s kind of like our own real life version of Frogger, but more exciting (especially for the people inside the cars who were clueless to our little game and were wondering just what in the hell had landed on top of their car).

I’d figured out by now that Yakko always allowed me a little extra time before I actually got home, so I’d usually try to get a snack or spend a little more time with my friends. Tonight though I wanted to get home early; my camera was almost out of space, so I wanted to get some pictures scanned onto the computer, printed and deleted from my camera space before I forgot.

After the short walk back to the movie lot, I slipped in through the employee parking entrance - seeing as it was closer than the main entrance - despite the fact that it was all the way on the opposite side of the lot, and sneaked my way between and under the parked cars; my sibs and I weren't allowed in here anymore because, well, let’s just say the damage we’d caused cost the studio _a lot_ in insurance payments. I was almost in the clear when suddenly someone grabbed my shoulder. I yelled in surprise and pulled out my mallet, but relaxed when I saw that it was only Andy.

“Oh, hey there, Wakko! Didn’t mean to startle you.”

After a sigh of relief I responded. “Hiya, Andy! Why are you still here? It’s late.”

Andy smiled. I didn’t notice at the time that something was… off about that smile. I trusted him, I didn’t even think about it. “Well, I’ve been working on a little project and it’s finally finished! Here, why don’t I give you a ride back to the tower; it’s an awfully long walk back, and this part of the lot isn’t lit very well,” he said as he gestured around at the few wimpy lights that dimly lit the parking lot.

“That’d be great. Thanks Andy!”

“No problem at all,” he said with that same smile. Once we were in the car he spoke up again. “Y’know, I was going to wait until morning, but since you’re here now, would you mind taking a look and giving me your opinion? It won’t take long, it’s real close by; just a couple of minutes.”

I looked down at the clock on his radio. I still had about fifteen minutes to spare, but I really wanted to print my pictures. Besides, my phone had died while I was at the park because I forgot to charge it again last night, so I couldn’t call Yakko to let him know where I was going.

“You promise it’ll only take a couple of minutes? I don’t want to get yelled at by my brother for being late again.”

“The whole thing will take less than ten minutes. Sound good?”

I thought about it a little more - my gut was saying not to risk it, _just go to the tower so you’re not late for once_. I wish I’d listened to my gut - about something besides food for once. But I’ve always been curious - and quick to skip any sort of logical decision making - so I decided there was no harm in taking the chance. “Okay, sure! Just as long as I’m back in time; Yakko gets really worried when he doesn’t know where I am.”

“Don’t worry about a thing; I assure you, Yakko won’t be angry with you tonight.”

_Yeah, because he’ll never see me again._

“Okay, let’s go then!”

_I was so excited, so curious and I was honored to be the first to see his project. Thinking about that place now makes me feel sick._

He drove us off the lot and turned onto the road leading away from the studio. Away from the whole town, really.

“Wait, I thought your project was on the lot?”

Andy chuckled.

“Oh no, It’s only about a mile or so out, I’d just stopped back at the lot to get my coffee cup for tomorrow.” He must have seen that I was a little uneasy, because he smiled and said “Hey, I promise I’ll have you home on time, okay?”

That alone had been enough to make me feel calmer. Andy was nice, he was my friend, I could trust him. We got out to a small open field near a small wooded area. He led me near the trees and I was worried about going inside; what if we got separated and I got lost, how would anyone find me? He stopped before the trees though, and swinging his arms out wide he said “Ta-Da!”

I looked around. “I can’t see anything. Where’s your project, Andy?”

Andy put a finger to his lips and made a small shushing sound before stomping his foot on the ground. It didn’t sound like the ground though, it sounded like wood. I walked over and saw a small wooden trap door hidden under some leaves and dirt.

“Whoa, what’s down there?” I asked.

Andy smiled as he unlocked the small door and opened it. “See for yourself.”

I peered inside and made my way down the small wooden ladder and was amazed at what I saw. There, under the earth, undetected and yet so close to the city, was a large room. It was obvious that it had been carved out by Andy himself, seeing as the walls were all made out of dirt. It smelled nice, like the ground after a rainstorm. There were candles and books and toys and even a small fridge. I went over and opened it to find a variety of sodas.

“Help yourself,” Andy had said, so I did by taking a can of Fanta. There were wooden benches that lined the walls and Andy gestured for me to sit before he took a seat on one of the steps of the ladder himself.

“So, what do you think?”

“You made all of this yourself?” I’d asked in amazement. “This must have taken months!”

Andy chuckled. “Well you’d be surprised what someone can do with the right motivation.”

“But, why did you do this? Did you make it for your kids?”

Andy shook his head. “No, I don’t have any kids of my own, so I built this for you and your friends and siblings; sort of a little hang-out for you.” He moved to sit next to me, right between me and the ladder. I didn’t think anything of it then, why would I have? But then…

“I wanted you to be the first one to see it, Wakko.”

I’d smiled. “Really?! Why me?”

Andy hummed. “Because, you’re special.”

I looked at him, confused. “Special? How so?”

“You’re special to me,” he said in a soft, fond voice. A little too fond, and that was the moment my gut started telling me something wasn’t right. “Personally I think you’re the funniest out of the three of you; you could easily be the leader of your family instead of your brother.”

“Oh, um…” I wasn’t sure what to say, but I knew I didn’t like Andy’s tone very much, “t-thank you.”

Andy hummed again. “And I know they say that your sister’s the cutest, but I think you could take that spot too.”

He put his hand on my leg and slowly ran it up my thigh, _very high_ up my thigh. Too high. I was starting to feel panic now; I knew what he meant by ‘special’ and I wanted no part in it.

“T-thank you,” I said, but my mouth was dry, and the fear that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach made me feel sick. “I should probably get going now, Andy. It’s almost time for me to be home, and Yakko will get upset if I’m late again.”

I wished I’d charged my phone the night before, I would have texted Yakko behind my back and he’d be there to help me, just like he always was. But not this time. He wasn’t going to be there to protect me this time.

“Don’t worry, you have plenty of time,” he said, and his voice had shifted, and now there was a hint of darkness in his tone. _He knows that I figured out what he wants_ , I thought to myself, _and he knows I don’t want to do it_. “I’ll explain it to Yakko myself. You were just _helping me with something_."

I felt like I was going to throw up, but I needed to get out of there. The only problem was that Andy was still sitting between me and my way out. Thinking on my feet, I got up and walked over to the small shelf dug into the wall where there were a few toys out on display. “You’re… You really put a lot of work into this, didn’t you, Andy?” I said. I slowly moved down the wall, closer to the ladder and pretended to inspect the various objects that were laying out.

“Oh, yes. It took a long time, and a lot of very hard work,” he said, but he didn’t move from his spot by the ladder. His voice sounded darker now. “I thought it would be a great way to help you kids have some _fun_.”

At that I couldn’t wait any longer. I ran and jumped onto the ladder but immediately felt large, strong hands pull me off and throw me to the ground. I tried to get back up but Andy pinned me down. I struggled with all my might to try and get away from him.

Come on, focus. FOCUS!

If I could just focus on my body a little more I could use toon logic to slip away, but given the situation my focus was set on trying to get away. In funny situations toon logic came to us naturally, but this was far from funny. This was absolutely terrifying.

I kept trying to focus but I couldn’t stop fighting, not even for a second. Eventually Andy raised himself up slightly to adjust himself, and I used the opportunity to kick him as hard as I could in the jaw. I heard a painful yell and took off to the ladder again, but this time Andy swung around with something in his hands; something very hard that smacked me in the head.

I groaned and willed my vision to come back quicker so I could try to escape. I tried to stand up regardless but was pushed down again, this time by his hand. My vision finally cleared enough for me to see that he was holding two objects; in one hand he held a knife, and in the other he held an axe. Both were covered in a familiar, stinky green substance.

All I could think at the sight was _Oh god Yakko please help me!_

My head was throbbing and the nausea had gotten worse with the blow to the head. I tried to back up, but he followed me. I tried to run past him, wobbly as I was, but he made a quick slash across my chest with the knife and it stung _so badly_ , it burned. The Dip he’d coated the weapons with made it unbearable.

I let out a painful scream and stumbled back, but I tripped and fell backwards. I could feel the blood running down my chest and saw as the black stain on my sweater continued to grow bigger and bigger. Andy got on top of me again and I threw my head up to hit him on his own. It made my headache far worse than it had been but at least it distracted him. I tried to wriggle free but his fist connected to my cheek and I could feel a painful crack. Before I could recover from the hit there was another, then another, then two more until I could hardly move. But I did still move; as weak as I was I still tried to break free; all I could think about at that point was getting back to Yakko and Dot who were waiting for me at home - in the water tower - where it was warm and bright and safe. I’d pull them into the biggest hug I could manage and never let them go.

Using what little strength I had I kicked my foot up and hit Andy square in the crotch. He groaned in pain and sat up to grab hold of his private area, but just as before, as I tried to run past, he grabbed me with one hand and threw me down. He was strong, a lot stronger than I was at that point, and the look of fury in his eyes let me know I wasn’t going to escape; not before he got his _prize_ anyway.

“You’re not going anywhere you _fucking brat_.”

He knelt on my legs, one on top of each of mine and used his left hand to restrain my wrists before slowly sliding his right hand under my shirt and up my chest - his fingers gently brushed over my nipples as he did so, which made them get hard and painful - all the way up to my neck and then all the way down to my private area. He gently used his fingers to rub that area as he tried to extract my private parts.

He sighed heavily. “My god,” he said, his voice was soft and airy, “you feel so nice; your fur is so soft, so beautiful.” Before I could respond he kissed me. He used his tongue and it was gross. It was disgusting! He then proceeded to push my shirt up and kiss various parts of my body, from my neck down to my nipples, making sure to kiss and suck on each one, making them hurt even more, and then down to my private area, where he switched his fingers for his tongue. I could feel that his privates had grown hard, and it just made me feel sicker.

I didn't even realize that I was crying until he bent over and gently kissed the tears away from my cheeks, gently using his tongue to lap them up. “Don’t cry, baby. It’ll be nice, you’ll see; Daddy will show you, I’ll make you see.”

"Please stop! _Please!" I begged. I was sobbing at this point._

__

But he didn't stop. I shivered and tried to fight harder, but while using one hand to pin my arms above my head, he used the other to… _reach down and touch me_. It didn’t feel good, and I was even more scared than I was before. I tried to fight harder but then he… pushed inside me, and it hurt _so much_ and it took away any ability to fight that I’d had. It _burned_ and it felt like I was being torn apart. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything but scream and cry out in pain as he pushed in and out inside of me. I screamed my brother’s name as loud as I could, praying to any deity that may be up there that maybe, just maybe he’d hear me enough that he could follow my voice and make it stop.

__

Andy removed one of his hands to press over my mouth to muffle my screams, but with some of the strength removed I was able to get my left arm out of his grasp. I reached into my hammerspace and pulled out the first thing my hand could find - which happened to be my camera - and began smashing it against his head. He tried to grab my arm but I refused to let him. I kept bashing the camera against his head, and the flash went off a few times as I accidentally hit the shutter. It seemed to blind him momentarily so I kept flashing the camera to get as much light in his eyes as I could while I tried to escape his grasp. I wriggled as hard as I could and managed to get free! I ran for the ladder and was able to push the hatch open - so close to freedom - before he grabbed me by the tail and pulled me back down.

__

Pulling me close to his bloody face he gave me the meanest look I’d ever seen and yelled “You’re not going anywhere, you get that! You’re _my_ little bitch and I’ll do whatever the fuck I want with you,” before throwing me to the ground, hard.

__

He hit me in the face again, harder than he had before. I'm pretty sure I wet myself at some point, but I didn't notice or care; that wasn't important right now.

__

Andy tried to grab my arms again but only managed to grab one. I’d dropped my camera and couldn’t spare time for another reach into my hammerspace so I had to keep fighting with my fist. Andy once again tried to grab my arm without letting up on his grip on my wrist, but couldn’t manage to do so; I was used to dodging all sorts of attacks, so despite the fact that I couldn’t dodge this one, I could at least dodge this final grasp. Andy knew that grabbing my arm wasn’t going to work, so he found a solution.

__

I saw him raise the axe, and I saw as it began to swing down towards me, right towards my face, but yet somehow I managed to gather enough strength to twist out of his grasp at the very last second and ran faster than I’d ever run before - sans toon logic of course. I could feel that I was no longer wearing my hat, but as much as I wanted to I couldn't go back to get it.

__

I flew up the ladder, letting my head hit the door to open it rather than using my hands because I couldn’t slow down, not even for a second. I took off towards the water tower, thinking about how Yakko and Dot would react to seeing me this way. I was sure they’d bust through the wall of Ms. Norita’s office as soon as she walked in tomorrow and chew her out until they saw her fill out Andy’s termination papers themselves, then they’d definitely mallet Andy into Hell, at the _very_ least. Maybe even with a human mallet; that would do him far more - and more permanent - damage.

__

When I finally reached the water tower I climbed the ladder as quickly as I could. All I wanted was to go inside and cling to Yakko. I wanted him to pick me up and hold me close. I wanted him to rock me back and forth as I cried and tell me that everything was going to be alright because I was so _scared_ and all I wanted was my big brother.

__

When I reached the top of the tower, I noticed that the lot was dead. No cars, no people, no sound. The streets were the same way; the same streets that had been buzzing not even an hour ago were now dead and empty. I looked around, and I noticed that everything was covered in a soft, foggy blue hue, but looking to the street lights I could see that they weren’t the cause. I looked up to the sky, almost expecting to see an alien ship hovering above - maybe Steven was doing another alien movie? - but instead I just saw an endless black abyss; not even a single cloud or star.

__

I threw the door open and hurried inside before slamming it shut and locking it behind me as fast as I could. I took a few deep breaths before turning to look for my siblings. I didn’t see them in the living room so I called out to them.

__

“Yakko? D-Dot? I’m back!” my voice was still shaky and weak from fear, but they still should have been able to hear me.

__

They didn’t answer, and the tower was filled with that same blue glow as outside.

__

I had no idea what was going on but I was scared and I just wanted my family, so I went through the tower looking for them. The bathroom was empty, as were all three bedrooms, and the living room was still deserted.

__

“Guys?!” I called again, a bit desperate at this point. I was starting to feel more and more afraid. “Yakko, Dot where are you?”

__

I still got no answer, so I ran out of the tower and climbed down the ladder before running through the lot looking for them. There was nobody there, though. Somehow in the half hour I was gone, everyone had disappeared.

__

“Yakko! Dot!”

__

Suddenly I heard voices behind me, and I turned to see people walking around the lot as usual, and among them I saw two very familiar figures. “Yakko, Dot!” I called excitedly; it was such a relief to see them! They looked over in my direction, but didn’t seem to see me.

__

I tried to run up to them, but someone cut me off and when he passed, everyone was gone again and it was silent once more. What was happening?

__

Suddenly everything I saw began to disintegrate as though it were made of sand, and in its place small fragments of light began to appear until I was somewhere else. How did that happen? What’s going on? Where-

__

I was back in Andy’s shack.

__

I froze as a chill ran down my spine and my blood went cold. I could hear him, he was grunting. I didn’t want to look but I couldn’t stop myself. I slowly turned towards him to see what was happening, and I gasped in terror at what I saw. There was Andy, having sex with a body.

__

My body.

__

My _dead _body.__

_____ _

My dead body with a large curved, bloody slice running down the chest from the knife and a deep bloody gash in the middle of its face from the axe.

_____ _

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t act out. The sight made me feel sick to my stomach but I couldn’t throw up. I couldn’t even cry. The only thing I could do was scream as the image before me began to disintegrate just like the one before it.

_____ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TLDR: Andy tricks Wakko into entering a small room he made underground where he then r*pes him and kills him. An axe, knife and dip are all involved. Wakko escapes thinking he is still alive and can't find his family. He is then sent back to the room to find Andy in an act of necrophilia with his dead and maimed body.
> 
> I've written and re-written this chapter so many times, so I hope you like it. I'm happy with how it turned out at least. I've been listening to the same three sad songs during the duration of writting this chapter that I feel like they're a part of my soul now. 
> 
> If you want some extra heart ache while reading this chapter consider these songs:
> 
> What hurts the most- Rascal Flatts  
> If you're reading this- Tim McGraw  
> Please remember me- Tim McGraw
> 
> Don't forget to leave a kudos and comment if you liked it! Comments telling me that you like this story always help to motivate me to continue this story and update more frequently. After all: why water the garden if there are no plants, right?


	4. The waves turn the minutes to hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"  
> -Gordon Lightfoot, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Yakko stood out on the tower balcony, looking for his younger brother. It had been almost three hours since Wakko was supposed to be home, and his phone kept going straight to voicemail. He could have  _ sworn _ he'd heard Wakko call his name, so he went out and walked around the entire balcony searching every angle, but his little brother was nowhere to be seen. He was getting worried. No, scratch that, he  _ was  _ worried. Very worried at this point. 

Yakko heard the tower door open but didn’t look away from the lot below as Dot walked over to him.

“Have you seen him yet?” she asked, and Yakko could hear the worry in her voice. 

He forced himself to hide the panic he was beginning to feel and sound calm for his sister. “Not yet, but I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“It’s been too long, Yakko, we need to look for him. Maybe someone on the lot has seen him.”

Yakko thought for a moment. Going out to search for him made the idea that he was missing even stronger, and he refused to believe that his brother was missing; he couldn’t bear the thought of losing either of his siblings, and now that the possibility was staring him dead in the face, he didn’t want to accept it. 

But Dot looked so worried, and he didn’t want to scare her. 

“Sure, maybe someone’s seen him; he probably went in search of a craft services table somewhere. Let’s go down and see if anyone saw him.”

He put on a brave face for his sister, and he still wouldn’t admit that his brother could be missing, but he was worried for his little brother. Where was he?

_ Relax, Wakko can take care of himself. He’s the master of physical violence; if anyone tried anything he’d just whip out his mallet or a stick of dynamite and be on his way home. _

Somehow, it was harder to believe that than the fact that Wakko may be missing, and that scared Yakko to his core. If something had happened to his baby brother, he’d never forgive himself. It was his job to take care of his little siblings and keep them safe. He loved them more than anything in the world, and losing them would break him.

The next thing he knew his foot landed on solid ground and he was startled out of his thoughts. Dot came down shortly behind him and grabbed his hand. Yakko gave her hand a firm squeeze and looked down to give her a small smile. Judging by the look on her face, it wasn’t a very convincing one.

He led them through the lot, stopping as many people as they could to see if they had seen their brother. They asked directors, actors, writers, anyone that passed their way. They ran into Bugs and Daffy, but the duo hadn’t seen him either. The tightness in Yakko’s chest grew with every ‘no’ that they received. 

“Yakko, Dot!”

Yakko and Dot both heard Wakko call out to them, but neither could see him; there were so many people walking around that they could barely see past them all. They walked over to where they heard him.

“Wakko?! Wakko, where are you?!” Yakko called out. His panic released a little at hearing Wakko’s voice, but not much considering the fact that he still couldn’t find him. He wouldn’t feel relieved until he saw his baby brother in front of him with his own eyes. 

“Wakko!” Dot called out too. 

He never answered back. That wasn’t like him. Was he afraid of getting in trouble for staying out so late? 

Yakko pulled out his phone and started calling Wakko’s friends. He started with Buster, but he hadn’t seen him since class. Next he tried Charlie and got the same answer. Max hadn’t seen him either, and neither had any of their family members

The panic grew again. He  _ knew  _ he’d heard Wakko’s voice, Dot had too, but he was nowhere to be found.

He turned to look at Dot. I’m going to stay down here and look for him, you go up to the tower and see if you can spot him from up there. Check inside too, in case he snuck up there.”

Dot nodded and ran towards the tower. He looked up a moment later to see her up on the balcony where he’d expected; he didn’t need nor did he want to lose both of his siblings. 

He continued looking around at all the faces he could. As he searched, he saw Dr. Scratchansniff walking to his car, parked in front of his building. Because he had his own building, he could park his car there, instead of the employee parking lot; something the good doctor was very grateful for. He was no spring chicken anymore and the employee parking lot was a long walk away.

“Scratchy!” Yakko called as he ran over to the man. Even he noticed the desperation in his voice, but he didn’t care at this point. “Scratchy, have you seen Wakko?

“No, not since yesterday. Vy? Is he missing?”

Yakko didn’t know how to answer that 

_ Yes you do. He’s missing, just accept it. _

so he skirted around the question. “He was supposed to be home hours ago, and his phone keeps going to voicemail. He’s never been this late before. Dot and I even heard him, I  _ swear _ we did, he was  _ right there, _ but now we can’t find him anywhere.”

“I’m sorry, Yakko, but I haven’t seen him.” The look of deflation and worry on the boy’s face compelled him to try to make him feel better. “I’ll help you look, if you vant, and if ve can’t find him, zen ve’ll call ze police and have them help us look, ja?”

At the mention of involving the police, Yakko’s heart sank. If they involved the police then that would make it official; his little brother would be a missing person; someone on a billboard or a picture on Facebook that people shared, but never paid any attention too. His brother would become nothing more than an Amber Alert that nobody read and that terrified him.

“Listen to me, Yakko,” Scratchansniff said, and he knelt down so that he was at eye level with Yakko, “Ve Vill do everything ve can to find him, ja? And besides, he’s a strong boy, and he knows how to defend himself. I’m sure he’s fine vherever he is; we’d just be asking the police to find out  _ vhere  _ he is, okay?”

Yakko nodded his head, but the lump in his throat and the tightness in his chest didn’t lighten up. He must have been crying, at least a little, because Scratchy handed him a tissue from a small packet he kept in his pocket for moments such as this that he had with his patients. Yakko took it and wiped his eyes and nose, but he held onto it in case he needed it again, which he was sure he probably would. He looked up to the tower to see Dot was still looking in all directions on all sides of the tower. 

_ Please don’t let this be in vain, _ he thought to himself,  _ please,  _ please  _ let us find him. Alive and unharmed. Please let him be okay. _

* * *

After several hours of looking with no success, they had made the decision to call the police. It had been three days since then; three days and no updates. Yakko tried to put on a brave face for Dot, but inside he was panicked. No, panicked wasn’t the right word, he was absolutely terrified. It felt as though his stomach were in a vice grip, and he stayed by the phone and picked it up before the first ring finished.

Dr. Scratchansniff had started spending most of the day with them. He was worried about the two children but especially Yakko. Dot was handling things surprisingly well; he could tell that she was just as worried as her brother, but she was keeping her composure, whereas Yakko could barely keep a hold of his panic. 

He tried - Scratchy could tell he was trying so hard to hide his fear for Dot’s sake - but it was all too evident; the way he was always eyeing the phone in the kitchen, the way he was always clutching his cell phone, checking for new messages at least three times a minute, and the look on his face when he wasn’t focused on looking as calm as he could.

It made him think of lyrics from one of Gordon Lightfoot’s songs;  _ Does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours? _

He knew that the boy’s anxiety was no help. He’d diagnosed Yakko with anxiety in the early 2000’s. He knew that Yakko was drawn to be a talker - it was his nature to talk a lot - but he noticed that when the boy was nervous about something, his way of speaking changed. Instead of making jokes about whatever Scratchansniff had asked him, he’d speak even quicker than usual, and didn’t seem to know where he was going with his words, he just seemed to let them lead him instead. And when he asked about sensitive topics such as when they’d been locked in the tower or if something were to happen to his siblings, he’d make jokes or ask his own questions; anything to change the subject. 

He’d seen the boy have panic attacks a few times. Once at a party, which he usually loved going to, he began to look uncomfortable before looking around frantically. He’d squeezed his eyes shut, looked down and put his arms over his head to cover his ears, as if he were trying to hide from all of the people and different colors and smells and all of the sounds that were blending into one. When that didn’t work and he’d looked up with wet eyes and was hyperventilating, Scratchy had guided him outside and away from the noise to a quiet spot, and would then help him with his breathing to help him feel calm.

Scratchy knew that breathing exercises weren’t going to help now. He knew that nothing would help the boy relax until his brother was safe in his arms. 

When they’d called the police, they’d tried to dismiss them. They said that since it had only been a few hours Wakko wasn’t considered a missing person, but Yakko begged. Scratchansniff expected anger, but Yakko’s desperation took over. 

_ “It’s been almost four hours! What if he was abducted?! There’s a lot a person could do to a little boy in four hours! Please, he’s my little brother! I need to know he’s safe!” _

__ He managed to convince the police to file a missing persons report, and an officer came to the lot to get a description. 

“White face and feet, black fur everywhere else, he has ears and a tail like ours, he was wearing a blue turtleneck and a red hat. He’s eleven, average height for his age, and he has a scouse accent,” Yakko said, and the officer had to ask him to slow down so he could document everything because he was talking so fast.

Once the officer had the description, - and a picture of the boy his siblings had given him - formed and sent out a search team. They sent out the usual alerts; the amber alerts that went off on every cell phone within the area, put a photo of him on their Facebook page and flyers in windows and on bulletin boards in public areas, all as Yakko had predicted they’d do. 

They’d searched the area, they questioned the school and Wakko’s friends and some of his classmates and the staff, but they didn’t have much to go on; he didn’t have any credit cards, so they couldn’t trace where he’d made transactions, he hadn’t used his phone because it was dead, and he hadn’t used the internet so they couldn’t trace any calls or searches, they even checked the lot’s security cameras, but the main cameras only contained footage of employees and stars and directors and such coming and going, and the employee parking camera showed a few stray employees going to their cars and driving away for the night

They didn’t find anything overly suspicious, so as a last resort they sent out the K-9 unit and had the dogs get his scent from his blanket. They began their search at the park where Wakko had last been known to be located, but immediately the dogs wanted to split up; a few dogs wanted to go towards the beach while others wanted to go back towards the lot. The teams split into two groups and began their search. 

As it turned out, the dogs didn’t want to go to the beach but rather the boat docks, where a variety of large and small boats were stored. When they first arrived at the docks the dogs were hot on a trail... until they reached the docks themselves. The dogs sniffed around a few of the boats, but couldn’t seem to find a solid lead. Many of the boats were docked for the night but a few were still out, either partying or spending a few days out in the open blue.

The cops had questioned the owner and employees of the marina’s restaurant and shoppe and viewed the security footage, but they found the same as they had on the lot; a lot of people coming and going; some with luggage that were planning to stay out for a few days or travel along the coast, some just going out for a day of swimming with their kids; all sorts of things. They even took a list of the owners of the boats docked at the marina and anyone that had rented boats in the last few days, but once again, they didn’t see anything that struck them as suspicious.

As it turned out, the search team that had been headed to the studio were actually headed to the woods. They stopped about three and a half miles past the studio, and were led by the dogs to a small wooded area. The dogs seemed to have a strong scent as they all went to the same spot and began digging. The officers quickly realized, however, that there wasn’t much to dig at. There was a small wooden door in the ground and all of the dogs gathered around it. The detective who was leading the search, Officer Daniels, opened the small hatch and proceeded cautiously down the small but steep wooden staircase.

The first thing he was was the blood; a lot of it. It was black and the air was filled with the smell of ink and copper; this was definitely a toon’s blood. A few members of his team slowly made their way down into the dirt room and looked around, both in disgust but also awe of what they saw around them, while the other members stayed up with the dogs. 

“Does anyone else smell nail polish remover?” one of the other officers asked. There was definitely a strong scent of acetone in the air, and Daniels knew exactly what it was from. 

He covered his nose with his arm and tried to find where the scent was coming from. Sure enough there was a small space carved out behind the stairs with a small paint can. He carefully pried it open and was met with the exact substance he knew he’d find. He could hear some of the officers closer to him wince and moan in disgust as the smell, but also at the thought of what the kid must have gone through if Dip had been involved. 

Daniels put the lid back on the can and stepped away. He kept his nose covered as he continued to look around. “There was definitely a struggle,” he noted, and as we walked around and continued to inspect the area, he felt a small bump as he stepped on something. 

He looked down and put on a pair of white latex gloves before wiping dust off the object; a limp red hat, tattered, torn and stained with ink. It must have been crushed and covered by the loose dirt during the struggle. He took out the picture the kids had given him and sure enough it was the same hat. He let out a small sigh and put the hat in an evidence bag. 

“Daniels,” one of the officers called. Daniels turned around to find one of his officers, also wearing gloves, holding what appeared to be a filthy SD card. “It was hidden in the dirt, just happened to see a corner of it poking out.”

Daniels took out a small evidence bag and the officer dropped it inside. 

Suddenly one of the dogs started barking, and the others soon joined in. Daniels and the other officers quickly made their way out of the small room and followed the dogs into the woods. 

* * *

Dr. Scratchansniff had tried to distract the kids as best he could. He suggested they played a game, to which Dot agreed, but it was obvious her heart wasn’t in it; as soon as it was her turn Scratchy had to try to get her to snap out of her thoughts, and as soon as her turn was over, she went right back in.

Yakko had flat out refused. He said he wasn’t interested and Scratchy didn’t push him.

He couldn’t blame the kids, he was worried for Wakko too, but he had hoped that he could distract them at least a little instead of having them dwell on their fear.

Suddenly the kitchen phone rang and Yakko was over to it so fast that neither Dot nor Dr. Scratchansniff had even seen him move

“Hello?” He answered immediately, just as he had every time a phone had rung it the tower since the search team departed. He wasn’t even trying to hide the fear in his voice anymore.

“Yakko Warner? This is Officer Daniels, we found some evidence. Would you mind if I stop by tonight or-”

“Tonight. Tonight please as soon as possible.”

Daniels hesitated for a moment before saying “I’m on my way now.”

Fifteen minutes later - fifteen long, heart-stopping minutes for the three - Daniels arrived at the tower. Yakko had been waiting outside, constantly looking around for the officer’s car. When he finally arrived he could hardly stay still; it took all the strength he had not to jump off the balcony and have the man give him the evidence there in the parking lot. His energy level was the same as a kid on Christmas morning, but in a bad way. 

Yakko rushed inside as Daniels followed him in, and they sat at the table. “What did you find? Do you know if he’s okay? What did you find?” Yakko asked rapidly. He needed to know - right now - and every spare second felt like an eternity. 

“Are you kids sure you want to be here for this?” Daniels asked, and the siblings responded in firm unison.

“Yes.” Daniels could hear the desperation in their voices, and figured it would be best to break their suspense, they were going to find out one way or the other, might as well rip the band-aid off.

Daniels sighed and hesitated a moment before he began; he hated seeing the families reaction, especially the kids.

“Well to start off, we found a small room not too far from here that had been carved out underground; just about three miles away, near the trees. It looked like it was supposed to be a clubhouse of sorts. Behind the staircase, we found a container of Dip.”

If Yakko and Dot’s faces could get any whiter, they would have. They both reconsidered being there for a moment, but this was about Wakko, so they both elected to stay. That didn’t mean that Yakko was ready to give up denial though. 

“So what? That doesn’t mean that Wakko was there,” Yakko said. He tried to make his voice sound confident, but there was a slight quiver that Daniels easily noticed.

“We also found blood; a significant amount of blood.” 

Yakko hesitated. He could feel bile rising in his throat, and it was taking a surprising amount of effort not to throw up at the mention of ‘a significant amount of blood’. Toons may be more durable than humans, but they weren’t indestructible, and they weren’t immortal. “Th-that could have been anyone’s blood, you don’t know it’s his.”

“We have forensics running multiple tests on it now, but it was black ink, Yakko-”

“Wakko’s not the only toon in Burbank, it could have been any toon!” 

Daniels reached down into his bag. “We also found this; a few bits of red plastic and a small memory card. We looked into the memory card and found it was full of pictures taken of or by your brother. As for the plastic we believe it may have been part of the camera.” 

Yakko looked down at the memory card and red shards as though they were a venomous snake about to bite him. He recognized the color, it was the same color as the camera he’d given Wakko for his birthday a few years ago. 

“We found a few blurred photos that we believe were taken during the fight,” Daniels said, and he took out a small white envelope and slid it across the table to Dr. Scratchansniff. “You kids really shouldn’t be looking at these.”

“He’s our brother,” Dot said firmly.

“We need to know what happened to him,” Yakko finished strongly. 

Dr. Scratchansniff carefully took the photos out of the envelope and went through them, carefully looking over each one. He couldn’t tell what some of them were, a lot were just blurred streaks, but a few held some detail. One showed what appeared to be a blurry hand in the air, seemingly about to strike, one showed a blur of blue with a small hint of red, and Scratchy was sure it was one of the sleeves of Wakko’s sweater and his hat. The last one showed what seemed to be a close up of a person’s nose.

“These don’t prove a thing,” Yakko said. His voice was what Daniels liked to call ‘faux firm’ in which while the person’s tone was a firm one, it was firm in a sense that they were trying to convince themselves of something. He’d heard it hundreds of times before. 

“There’s more,” Daniels said. He reached down into his bag. “We also found this,” he said gently as he placed the evidence bag containing the red hat on the table. Dot gasped and immediately began crying; she’d become more and more convinced as he’d listed the evidence, but this was solid proof for her.

Yakko looked down at the bag as though he were looking at his brother’s corpse itself. There were tears in his eyes and he refused to blink so that they wouldn’t fall, but they fell anyway. They rolled down his cheeks without permission, but still he protested. “It. Wasn’t. Him.” he said. He tried to sound firm, but the quiver in his breaking voice and the tears on his cheeks and the despair in his eyes gave away that he was grasping at straws to convince himself. 

Daniels hesitated again. “Our K-9 unit led us in two directions; the marina and the woods. The dogs were hot on a scent until they actually got to the docs; then they couldn’t figure out which dock the scent was coming from. The team that went to the woods however, the same team that found the small room, found… anatomical evidence.”

“What do you mean by ‘anatomical’ evidence?” Scratchansniff asked cautiously. Dot was currently sitting in his lap sobbing into his shirt and Yakko was standing besides him, clutching his hand tightly and looking as though he were about to pass out. Scratchy himself felt sick to his stomach, but he was trying to stay calm for the kids.

With a small, remorseful sigh Daniels continued. “We found parts of a body. We found a finger, an ear, and what we believe to be part of a tail. They were spread throughout the woods to throw the dogs off. We searched everywhere the dogs would lead us, but we couldn’t find anything else.”

Daniels took out another small envelope. “These are the photos from the crime scenes, if you want proof, but I highly recommend that they kids don’t see them.”

Scratchansniff looked to the kids. Before they could say anything he shook his head and simply said “No. Not for this.” He placed Dot on the ground near Yakko, who pulled her close as she clung to him, and walked over to the couch to look at the photos, and Yakko and Dot watched him, completely petrified. As he flipped through the photos tears welled in his eyes, and when he got to the last few, the ones from the woods, he closed his eyes and bowed his head, taking a deep, stabilizing breath before looking at the kids and giving them a small nod.

Dot covered her mouth with her hands and pressed her face into Yakko’s abdomen as she began to sob harder than she’d ever sobbed before. She was crying so hard it sounded like she was screaming; maybe she was. Yakko on the other hand just stood there, completely catatonic. He couldn't think. He couldn't see. He couldn't hear or feel anything. He was completely numb. Nothing registered in his mind. He was just… there.

Dr. Scratchansniff went over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Yakko didn't react. He spoke to him. "Yakko, Yakko please say some-zing." Again, Yakko didn't react. He was far too deep in his mind at that point; a dark space, pitch black.

_ The abyssal zone of his mind. _

He's dead.

_ Hi, Yakko! _

He's dead.

_ Yakko, watch this! _

He's dead.

_ Yakko, can I sleep in your bed tonight? I had a nightmare. _

He's dead.

Never again.

He's gone. You'll never get him back. You'll never see or hear or feel him again. You'll never feel his little hand in yours when you cross the street, or when he just wants to hold his big brother's hand. You’ll never feel his arms around your waist and his face nuzzled into your stomach when he hugs you. You’ll never see that beautiful smile or that look of excited pride when you compliment or praise him.

Never. 

_ My baby brother _

Never. 

_ My little sib _

Never. 

Never again. So many never agains.

Never.

Never.

Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never.

Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. 

Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. 

Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. 

Never Never Never Never Never Never Never Never Never Never NeverNeverNeverNever

NeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNever Nev

_ I was supposed to protect him. _

_ I wasn't there. _

_ He died alone and scared if the evidence is right. _

_ My baby brother is dead. He died alone and scared because I wasn't there. I was supposed to protect him. This is my fault. _

NeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNever

“Yakko?” Dr. Scratchansniff asked cautiously. He had no idea what exactly was going on inside the boy’s head, and he didn’t want to do anything that could startle him and do him harm. But Yakko didn’t respond.

“Yakko?” Dot asked. Her voice was hoarse from crying so much, and Scratchy’s shirt was drenched in tears. “Yakko, please say something,  _ Please. _ ” She begged. 

But he couldn’t. It was the one time in his life where he was truly speechless. His body didn’t know what to do; should it scream, should it cry, should it run, should it get angry, should it throw up? All of these thoughts were playing tug-of-war in his mind, and he couldn’t decide what to do. 

Eventually his body chose for his mind as his eyes rolled back in his head and his body collapsed to the floor.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Never. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that when I'm done with this story I'm going to write a 'happy' version where Wakko survives. I say 'happy' because how happy do you think a little boy could be after going through something so traumatic? But hey, he'll be alive and with his family.
> 
> As always, if you liked this chapter, or like the story as a whole and want me to keep up with it, leave a kudos and a comment! Comments and kudos keep me motivated to keep up with my stories. No use fishing in the bathtub after all.
> 
> Besides, wouldn't it be a shame if the story ended here, with poor Yakko and Dot absolutely heartbroken at never, ever seeing their brother again... what a pity that would be indeed.


	5. La vie en rose

It took almost five minutes to wake Yakko up. Dr. Scratchansniff and officer Daniels had moved him onto the couch and tried to gently wake him with cool cloths and smelling salts while Dot stood behind, sobbing and afraid; she didn't want to lose  _ both _ brothers, losing one was painful enough.

Eventually he did wake up, and the dizziness made him throw up onto the floor. He took a minute as everything came back to him, completely ignoring what the adults in the room were saying. When everything had registered he stood up on shaky legs, something that Daniels and Scratchansniff tried to discourage him from doing, and walked over to the table while the others stood back and watched. His movements and facial expression were stoic.

When he got to the table he looked down at the bag containing Wakko's hat and gently picked it up. He held it as though it were the most precious thing in the world; he held it as though it were Wakko himself.

He stared at the hat for a mere few seconds before tears began to run down his face. The others watched as his body began to shake, and they watched as he clutched the bag to his heart with a sob and fell to his knees, letting out a pained, heartbreaking wail; the kind of wail that could only be produced from a truly broken heart.

Dot and Scratchansniff rushed over to him. Yakko and Dot clung to each other as Scratchansniff embraced them both. He'd never seen the Warners cry for real, but he didn't like it; they were supposed to be zany, crazy.

They were supposed to be a trio too, though

The sounds of their sobs broke his heart; he knew how close the kids were, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what losing a sibling would feel like.

For Dot, it was like losing a sense of protection, and a best friend. For as often as she had fought with Wakko they were still siblings, and they loved to get into mischief together. 

He made her feel safe, and he'd always try to make her feel better whenever something was wrong. He was her big brother _.  _ He'd been there one moment, and then she'd unknowingly watched as he walked away forever. The last words she’d ever speak to him had been taunting and teasing. She wished that she’d at least said ‘I love you’ as he’d walked out the door.

For Yakko, it was different. Much different.

Wakko was his baby brother. He was under his protection. He was just a little boy, and Yakko was supposed to keep him away from danger. 

But he'd failed.

To Yakko it felt more like losing a child than a sibling. He'd raised Wakko; he’d taught him how to read and write, right from wrong. He comforted him when he was afraid and cuddled him when he was sick, he’d held him in his arms and rocked him to sleep as he sang to him when he was upset. 

_ “She always held it deep inside but somehow I always knew, _

_ she’d go away when the grass turned green _

_ and the sky turned baby blue” _

The grass had turned green, the sky had turned baby blue, and Wakko had gone away.

They say that when you die your life flashes before your eyes, and in that moment Yakko saw his memories of Wakko flash before his eyes; all of the happy moments he'll never get to have with him again, all of the bad moments that haunted him with regret. He'd never get to feel Wakko's weight against his chest when he fell asleep on his lap or when he was carrying him, or how he’d gently grip his fur in his sleep while he was rocking him. All of those precious moments were stolen from him; from  _ them. _

_ He was all alone and afraid and you weren't there. You should have been there, you should have kept him safe. This is your fault, you failed him and your poor little baby brother had to suffer for it. Was his death quick and painless, or was it long and torturous? Either way, it happened because you failed. _

As the guilt built up inside his heart a thought popped into his head; officer Daniels had said that the crime scene was close, only a short ways away from the studio. Yakko thought back to the night Wakko went missing, and how he’d  _ sworn  _ he’d heard Wakko calling him. They had very good hearing; far better than humans did, and he could have easily heard someone faintly calling from that distance if he were outside, which he had been.

He’d heard Wakko calling for him. He’d heard Wakko calling him for help and he didn’t do anything. Wakko had needed him. He’d been calling for him - for his big brother - to come and help him, to save his life, and he never came. He could have saved him, but he didn't. He let this happen. He let his little brother die.

The realization trumped any other thoughts and feelings of guilt that Yakko had been feeling and made the pain so much worse. He cried loud and hard as his heart clenched painfully in his chest. 

When he closed his eyes all he could see and hear were his brother's sweet face and happy laugh. He'd never get to see or hear those beautiful features again, and it was all his fault. It didn't seem real. He cried harder than he'd ever cried before by a Longshot, all the while clutching Wakko's hat and Dot as though they were going to disappear too. 

Nothing felt real but the pain.

* * *

Eventually Yakko and Dot had cried themselves to sleep, and Dr. Scratchansniff and Officer Daniels had laid them on the couch and covered them with a warm blanket. 

Scratchy was truly worried for the kids; they'd never been hit by something this hard, not even when they were locked in the tower; at least they’d been together then. They were born together, and their bond was unbreakable to all but one thing; and that one thing had found them in the most gruesome way.

He found himself thinking about Wakko. The boy had been zany to the max that's true, but he was also sweet and kind. He was a typical little boy. But someone had hurt him, and they may never know how. 

He didn't deserve this; none of them did.

Officer Daniels and Dr. Scratchansniff sat in chairs near the sofa; Daniels could have left long before, but he wanted to stay and help with the kids; he could see that the doctor was grieving as well, and he knew that in that state, the doc could use some help.

“How’re you holdin’ up?” Daniels asked gently.

Scratchy didn’t look away from the sleeping kids. “I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “I’m devastated obviously, Vakko vas a sweet boy, and ze idea of vat he must have gone through… It breaks my heart. And ze poor kidses, zey have to live vith zis for ze rest of zeir lives. Zat breaks my heart most of all.”

Daniels nodded. It was known knowledge that toons didn’t age. They weren’t immortal, obviously, but they were tough to crack. The only ways a toon could die were if they weren’t able to focus themselves in time for danger (though they were almost always in focus to avoid injury or death), they made contact with a fatal amount of Dip, or if they ended things on their own terms. Daniels could tell that he and the doc were both worried about Yakko in that aspect.

Daniels didn’t know the kids like the doc did, but he didn’t need to in order to notice how different their reactions had been. He’d been in this line of work for years and he’d seen every reaction in the book.

Dot’s reaction had been that of a child who had just lost a sibling; it was devastation at the loss of a constant and loved being in their life. Her reaction was one that said ‘I’ve lost someone I love, and I miss them’.

Yakko’s reaction on the other hand was much more severe. Yakko’s reaction had been one of pain and true anguish. It was the reaction he identified with mothers who had just learned that they’d lost their child. It was a reaction that said ‘a part of me has been ripped away’.

Those were the reactions that worried him.

When it came to couples who’d lost a child, those were the reactions that were usually followed by divorce, depression, alcoholism and other dangerous methods of coping. He’d seen many divorces come from that type of reaction, and he was worried about how a fourteen year old boy would handle such a heavy grief.

He looked over at the kids; Yakko was laying on the outside of the couch with Dot held safely in his arms, sandwiched between her brother and the couch itself. He could still see the tear marks on their faces, and he could still hear their painful, screaming sobs.

He looked down at his watch. "I should get going," he said quietly, "are you three gonna be alright, or would you like me to stay?"

Scratchansniff gave him a sad smile. "You can go, I have a few calls to make and I'm sure ve'll be getting some company ven zey find out. But thank you for everyzing you've done for us."

Daniels nodded with a small, sad smile and handed him a business card. "If you need anything, or if anything comes up, let me know."

"I vill. Thank you."

Officer Daniels packed the evidence - including Wakko’s hat, which had to be pried out of Yakko’s hands when he fell asleep - into his bag and headed towards the tower door as Scratchy dialed Bugs's number on his cell phone. 

An hour later, Bugs, Daffy and Sylvester were there with him to help look after the kids, and the others said they'd come over later as well to be there for them; to be there for each other.

* * *

Andy turned the faucet off and removed his bloody clothes before stepping into the steaming bath. The blood and the dirt almost immediately turned the water black, but he didn’t care, he didn’t have a care in the world. He was running on a high, two of them really; sex and control. He could still hear the kid’s screams, his pleading to be let go. He could still feel his body; so soft and tight as he writhed under him. His lips had been salty from his tears, but they were oh so soft.

With his mind and body distracted he wiped his face off with a hot rag, trying to clean as much of the evidence as he could off of his face. He continued to clean himself, allowing himself time to let his body feel any leftover sense of pleasure he had. He’d been such a beautiful boy. It was a shame he’d chosen to fight him, he would have loved to have had him again sometime. 

As much as he would have loved to bask in the memory and the feelings the boy brought to him, he knew he didn’t have any time to waste. He allowed himself a little time to enjoy the feelings and small pleasures that he felt while rubbing his body, but he made sure that he was using his time productively. He had to get down to the docks before the kid’s siblings started raising suspicion.

* * *

He packed everything he needed into the trunk of his truck, which was parked next to the car he used to drive to work each day; he didn’t need the cops connecting the license plate to the two locations. In his trunk he had a fishing pole, a tackle box, a large anchor, and a duffel bag that contained cleaning supplies and an extra pair of clothes. He also had a large cooler that contained the busted camera, the weapons, his bloody clothes and the pieces of the boy’s body - save for the ones he’d used as dog bait.

When he got down to the docks he parked his truck outside the marina shoppe and went inside to the front desk.

“How can I help you?” the clerk asked, but when he looked up he smiled. “Oh, heya, bud.”

“Heya, Marty, I need a container of night crawlers, please,” Andy said, his voice was friendly and he smiled at his friend. He’d been keeping his little speed boat, _La vie en rose_ , here for a couple years now, and the entire staff knew him. They all found him to be very pleasant and kind. They’d never suspect him to do any harm, and that gave him an advantage in this situation.

Marty chuckled. “Why do you always wanna come out at this time of night anyways? I’d be in dreamland right now if I could be.”

“I have trouble sleepin’ from time to time, figured I might as well spend some time on the water while it’s peaceful; you know as well as I do, if not better, that as soon as day breaks there’ll be boats everywhere.”

Marty nodded. “Yeah it gets crazy here real quick, especially since the weather’s been so nice lately. People want to enjoy their time on the water; especially the tourists.”

“I can imagine, LA’s a big tourist hit.”

“One of the biggest in the country, my friend,” Marty agreed as he finished the transaction and handed Andy his change. 

Andy smiled at him. “Well, I should get goin’; I’ve got a lot to haul down.”

“Oh, you want some help?”

“No no, I can get it. It’ll just take two trips. No biggie. I could use the extra steps anyway,” Andy said as he shook his chubby stomach for emphasis. 

Marty laughed. “Alright. Have a good time, Joe.”

“Oh, I will. Thanks, Marty.”

  
  
  
  


_ I try not to think of her but I fall asleep and do, _

_ and drift off where the grass is green _

_ and the sky is baby blue _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, I threw in a plot twist. Watcha gonna do about it, huh? Hopefully continue to read this story! As always, don't forget to drop a kudos and a comment if you liked what you read. I love getting emails saying I got a new comment, it makes me so excited and I love reading all of them. So if you want there to be more to this story, take a few seconds to drop a comment! Comments help me know that people like my work, which motivates me to update faster! After all, why dive into an empty pool?
> 
> The lyrics are from the song 'Baby Blue' by George Strait (personally, it's one of my favorite songs)


	6. What hurts the most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know we haven't heard from Wakko in a while, but he is back in this chapter! I just needed a little bit of build up but he is back. 
> 
> In this chapter we see just what Andy does with the evidence, and we see Wakko's funeral, along with a few scenes from in between the last chapter and now as Wakko makes his was through to the afterlife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know this update's taken a little longer than the others, but bear with me here. I just started my new job at the ER as a unit secretary with 12 hour shifts, 3-4 days a week so... I'm tired, and after all that the last thing I want to do is stare at a screen. 
> 
> Anyway, that all being said, let the story begin!

Andy loaded his things - starting with the cooler - onto his boat before backing out of his dock space and taking off. Before leaving he’d made sure to park the cooler by the dock across from his to help divert the scent when they inevitably sent out the dogs. 

He drove his boat far past the beaches, far past the land, far past everything until there was nothing in sight but water, and then he drove further. Once he was sure that he was out far enough that he wouldn’t be disturbed he began his work. 

He ignored the fishing pole and tackle box completely, they were merely props. Instead he set the duffel bag on the seat where it wouldn’t get dirty, and stripped down completely, shoes and all, before throwing them into the cooler. He took the axe out and began chopping holes into the top of the cooler before turning it over and chopping holes in the bottom as well so that water could pass through and pull it under easier.

At first he’d considered cutting him into smaller pieces and using them as chum, but that was far more time consuming and a hell of a lot messier. He’d decided to keep them as limbs, but he didn’t want to just throw them in the water for fear of one washing up on shore. Even if it was unlikely, he didn’t want to take a single chance. Besides, he wouldn’t be back until after the shoppe’s shift change, so no one would question him about the missing cooler.

Once he was done with the axe he dropped it in the water and watched as it quickly sank down into the dark depths. He then took the rope of the anchor and tied it around the cooler every which way as tightly as he could to ensure that it wouldn’t come untied; not until it was deep enough not to be a concern anyways. He placed the cooler in the water and watched as water began to seep in, and old, leftover blood seeped out. He then lifted the heavy anchor and began to slowly feed it down into the water until there was no more rope to hold, and let go, watching as it pulled the cooler - and the evidence - down with it.

He watched until it was out of sight and even a little after. He then washed the blood off his hands in the salty water before taking the cleaning supplies out of the duffel bag and scrubbing the black blood out of the boat’s rough blue carpet.

* * *

Yakko sat in a chair as he stared out the window. His facial expression was that of a person who’d cried all of the tears their body could produce, and was left completely numb and empty.

Dot peaked in the room and saw her brother sitting at the window. She walked over to him, her black dress feeling far heavier than it was. When she got to where Yakko was sitting she just stood next to him for a moment, as if trying to see how long it would take for him to notice her there. She knew he wouldn’t though; he was too far back in his mind to register anything that was happening in the real world. 

Scratchy said it was a coping mechanism; living in his mind and the memories and fantasies that it produced allowed him to be in a world where he didn’t have to face the pain and heartbreak he was feeling. It scared Dot though. What if one day he went too far into his mind and couldn’t come out? What if he chose not to, especially after the nasty things she’d said to him the other night? She’d been so harsh, and he hadn’t said a word since. 

She wasn’t sure which scared her more; the silence, Yakko not wanting to leave his mind, or Yakko not wanting to to leave because of her.

Her family had begun to break, and she could feel the cracks reaching further and further.

“Yakko?” she said quietly, she didn’t want to startle him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yakko?” This time she shook his shoulder a little.

Yakko blinked once, then twice before looking over at his sister. All he gave her in response was a quiet “Hmm?”

“People are starting to get here,” she said, and she could feel a lump forming in her throat; she never thought she’d be attending the funeral of one of her brothers.

Yakko looked over to her, his expression blank. He pulled her close and kissed her head before standing up. He felt like he was on autopilot. Nothing felt real to him; reality felt more like a fantasy to him than his actual fantasies.

Dot grabbed his hand tightly and he picked her up, carrying her on his hip. She buried her face into his neck and sniffled. She knew that Yakko was trying to be there for her like before, but this was much too big of a blow to his heart, and he couldn’t pick himself up yet. So she was trying to stay strong, for her and for him, just as he always had been for her and Wakko - she owed him at least that much after essentially breaking what was left of his heart (and mental stability for that matter). She was trying so hard but she was so sad that it was hard to be strong even for just herself. She felt like a failure and a monster as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

Yakko looked down at her and stopped walking as he hugged her close, his free hand going up to cup the back of her head as she wept into the crook of his neck, which she now had her arms wrapped around. He began to purr gently as he kissed her head again and rubbed her back as he walked them to the casket. Scratchy had said that traditionally, immediate family members stood by the casket. He told them that they didn’t have to if they didn’t want to, but they - well, Dot insisted. Yakko had said nothing, but he stayed up at the casket with Dot.

The casket was empty, seeing as no body was ever found to bury, so everyone was asked to bring something special to put in the coffin. Yakko, Dot, Dr. Scratchansniff, Skippy and Slappy had all already put their items inside. 

Yakko had put in the first book he’d ever read; Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. Once they’d been let out of the tower one of the first places Yakko wanted to go was the library. He’d asked the librarian for the best book they had, to which she had answered that he’d have to decide that for himself. Seeing his disappointed face, she led him to the classics section and told him that it was a great place to start. 

The concept of Frankenstein interested him immediately, and he read the whole thing in one sitting. He read other books over time, of course, but he’d checked Frankenstein out so many times that on the librarian’s last day before retirement she’d gifted it to him, all wrapped up with a bow. It was also the first present he’d ever gotten. He’d hugged her and thanked her, and he kept it safely tucked in on the end of his bookcase. He still took it out to read it now and then. It was his favorite book - and his favorite copy, seeing as it was the one he’d received from Ms. Martha all those years ago - and because it was so special to him, it was what he chose to put in Wakko’s coffin.

Dot had put in her pink teddy bear. It was a gift that she’d received from Wakko himself. She saw it in the window of a store and fell in love with it immediately. When she woke up the next morning, the bear was in her arms and Wakko was at her door. “I saw how much you liked it,” he’d said, his tongue sticking out as usual as he smiled. She was so hesitant to give it up, but she had other things that Wakko had given her, and she wanted to give him something that was truly special to her. Yakko had picked her up to put it in the coffin, and before she did she whispered  _ please take care of him for us _ into the bear’s ear. It was sometime shortly after that that Yakko had gone to sit alone in the other room.

Dr. Scratchansniff had put in the Albert Einstein bobble head that his father had given him when they first came out in the sixties. Wakko always liked to bounce the head and then bob his own in time with it while making his gookie face. The doctor never did understand why he enjoyed it so much, but he had, so that’s what he decided to put in.

Skippy put in a signed copy of one of his and Wakko’s favorite comic books. It was an original Spider Man comic book that Stan Lee had signed at a convention he went to for the sole purpose of meeting him. Wakko was supposed to have gone with, but he’d gotten himself in trouble and was grounded. Skippy had wanted to get him a signed copy too, but he only had the one, and by the time he got up to Mr. Lee they were out of spare copies. 

He’d waited in line for hours just to get it signed, and he’d always treated it as if it were made of pure gold. The only other person he let read it was Wakko; even Slappy knew not to mess with it. It was his prized possession, and he wanted his friend to have it now. Ya’know, in case he got bored wherever he was now.

Last but not least, Slappy had put in a necklace; one her younger sister Sadie - Skippy’s mom - had given her, actually. Skippy’s mom had gotten sick. A toon’s version of cancer. They hadn’t found it in time, and when she was finally diagnosed, they gave her five months at most. She’d already been getting weaker by then, quickly, so she began making arrangements immediately, beginning with asking Slappy if she would take care of Skippy when she was gone. Slappy didn’t hesitate for a second before accepting. 

She spent her last few days in the hospital with Slappy and Skippy by her side. Skippy would sit on her bed with her and hold her hand and tell her  _ “It’s okay if you go, momma, I don’t want you to be sick anymore. I want you to be happy and healthy again”  _ to which she’d say  _ “I’m always happy because I get to be your mom, and I’ll always love you, even when I’m gone”. _

One day, as Skippy slept on the room’s small couch, Sadie beckoned her big sister over. She weakly slipped the small pendant she was wearing off and placed it in Slappy’s hand. It was a simple necklace; a silver chain and a small round piece that had ‘Have No Fear’ engraved in it.  _ “I know you’re not big on jewelry, but this one’s important” _ . Slappy didn’t question her, she simply slipped the necklace over her head and let it rest in her fur, and Sadie smiled weakly as she fell asleep. She never woke up.

Everyone who came to the funeral, from staff workers to actors to personal friends brought something special. Some people brought cards, or personal items, or things they’d made or something they’d bought just for this occasion; but it was all with thoughtful intentions. Steven placed a smooth stone on the edge of Wakko’s coffin, and told ‘him’ that he’d move it to his grave once it was finished.

Yakko and Dot stayed with Scratchy up next to the coffin until everyone in the line had come up to say a goodbye or send a prayer to their brother. They weren’t religious, but they appreciated the sentiment all the same.

When Andy came up to the casket he placed a single rose in the center of the coffin, where Wakko’s body should have been

_ It shouldn’t have been in there. It shouldn’t have been in there because he shouldn’t be dead. _

along with a stem of small blue forget-me-nots. It was symbolic.  _ In more ways than one. _

Once he placed the flowers in the casket he moved over to the kids.

His condolences were interrupted by a loud crack. Everyone looked around as they tried to find the source, but no one seemed to be able to place just where in the room it had come from.

“Hey, you guys,” he said gently, and his tone was sympathetic, “I’m so sorry for your loss, your brother was a wonderful kid. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two more stems of forget-me-nots and handed one to each child. “Blue, your brother’s favorite color,” he said, and he put a hand on each of their shoulders supportively. 

Dot smiled as best as she could but Yakko’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, and Dot wondered if he’d even noticed what had just happened. She grabbed his hand tightly, partly to help keep him grounded but also because she felt like she would break if one more person said how sorry they were; it just kept pushing the fact that her brother was dead into her face.

She was going to try to say something to him, but she was stopped by a loud crack, this one far louder than the first. Before anyone could even begin to look for the source, the bier cracked in half and the coffin fell to the floor. 

Everyone stared at the coffin for a moment in shock; even Yakko, who hadn’t shown any hint of emotion towards anyone or anything except his sister since this had all started. 

The funeral director had rushed in after hearing the commotion and asked if anyone was hurt. Thankfully no one was, and he helped Steven gently turn the coffin over onto its back.

“I don’t understand how this could have happened. This bier’s been through many funerals but wasn’t weak by any means,” he said.

Amazingly the coffin wasn’t damaged, save for a few scratches, and nothing from inside seemed to have been harmed either; not even the glass items. The only items that  _ were _ damaged were the rose and the forget-me-nots, which had been squashed by the edge of the coffin.

* * *

I was tired. That was the first thing I noticed. I don’t remember falling asleep though. The last thing I could remember was…

I don’t want to think about it. It’s scary and it’s sad and it’s gross and I don’t want to think about it. But I don’t remember falling asleep.

I pushed myself up and looked around, and I was amazed to see that I was in the water tower. It was brightly lit and looked the way it always did. I was home. I smiled to myself. It really had all been a dream! Oh thank god. The relief I felt was amazing, like an elephant took one of its feet off of my chest. As I pushed myself up the rest of the way I heard two familiar voices. No, wait, three. I looked over towards the couch and there were Yakko, Dot and Scratchy! The three people I wanted to see most in the world were really here.

I could feel happy tears well in my eyes as I called out to them and ran towards them. But… they didn’t seem to see me, and they didn’t really seem to be getting any closer. As I kept running I started to hear them, but their voices sounded more like echos.

_ “We should call them again.” _

_ “It’s only been one day, Yakko, ve have to let ze police do zeir job.” _

_ “They aren’t doing it fast enough! He should be home by now!” _

I’d never heard Yakko so scared.

As I continued to run the floorboards seemed to melt, and it was as if I were running in water. I kept trying to get to them, but it was harder and harder to run as the water got deeper and deeper. I knew how to swim, but the water kept trying to pull me under. I kept calling out to my siblings and friend, but they didn’t hear me. 

Eventually the water pulled me under, and I kept going down, and down, and down, until eventually I felt my feet and legs slip out of the water and into air. Before I could question it, my feet hit a hardwood floor. As I looked around, I saw that I was back in the tower living room. But how…? 

I looked up and sure enough it was the same wooden beams and metal roof that had always been there. I looked around but I could hear voices. Real, actual voices, not echos. I turned around to see Dot, Scratchy and another man that I didn’t know gather Yakko, who was standing up from the couch. 

“No, Yakko, you shouldn’t try to stand yet, just lay back down,” Scratchy said, but he knew Yakko wouldn’t listen; Yakko was the most stubborn person I’d ever met. 

I watched as Yakko walked to the kitchen table. I couldn’t quite see what was on the table from where I was standing, but I could see the fear in his eyes as he looked down. I walked closer to him and a chill ran down my spine as I saw what he was holding; my hat, in a clear baggie. Like a reflex I reached up and felt my head, and for the first time since this had all started I realized my hat was gone. I remember it falling off during the struggle but I just assumed it would come back after I died. 

I was pulled away from my thoughts by a small sob, and I turned to see tears running down Yakko’s face right before he fell to his knees, hugging my hat close and crying harder than I’d ever seen him cry before. I didn’t even know he could cry like that; he was my big brother, he always seemed to know what to do.

Dot came running over and all but jumped into his arms, and she was crying just as hard. Even Scratchy had tears in his eyes as he hugged them close. 

I was crying at this point too, and I knelt down in front of them.

“Guys... I’m here, you guys, I’m right here” I said, but I could hear how broken my own voice sounded. I wanted to be with my family. I wanted to be able to hug them and cry with them and tell them that I’m here, I’m  _ right here, please just see me! Feel me! I’m right here! _

I tried to touch Yakko’s shoulder, but I couldn’t; at least, not really. It wasn’t a physical touch, but it felt… different. He felt like air that was thicker than the rest; more dense. He must not have felt me though, because he didn’t react. That just made me cry harder; I couldn’t even touch my siblings let alone hug them. I just wanted them to know I was there, but I couldn’t and they didn’t. They were right in front of me but I was all alone, and that was an empty, heavy feeling.

Trying to comfort myself, I moved to sit as though I were sitting in Yakko’s lap. I knew it wasn’t real, and I knew he couldn’t feel me, but I needed to pretend. I needed to feel like my family was still with me, and that I was still with them. 

I continued to cry in my spot until I heard Yakko yelling.

“Why can’t you let us keep it?!” he yelled. He was yelling at the man from before, when he had been laying on the couch.

“I’m sorry, Yakko, I really am but I had to take it back to the station; it’s evidence, and we need to keep it with the rest of the evidence until the case is completely closed, and we can’t close it until we know who did it.”

“Can we have it once the case is closed? If we find out who it is can we have it then?!"

The man looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry, but no. It’s contaminated with bodily fluids and possibly other, more harmful things like the dip we found.”

“So you’re just gonna throw it away?! Fine! We’ll just go get it in the trash if you have to!”

“Yakko, please calm down,” Scratchy said. “I know you’re disappointed, but-”

“Disappointed?  _ DISAPPOINTED?!  _ I’m fucking pissed!” 

Hearing Yakko swear like that was strange. He never swore like that, at least not around me and Dot. I took a step back and I could see Dot do the same. 

“That isn’t just a hat! He was drawn with it, it’s the only part of him we have left, and you won’t let us keep it; the one piece of our brother that we have left and you won’t let us have it!” Yakko had a lot of tears rolling down his face, and even though his eyes were full of anger, I knew him well enough to see the sadness behind it. “You’re just gonna pitch it anyways! Why can’t you let us have it, we can wash it! No problem!”

“Yakko,” the man said. I don’t know how he managed to stay so calm, Yakko was scaring even me. “We aren’t going to throw it away. There are certain guidelines we have to follow with these types of things.”

Yakko faltered just for a second. It was lightning fast, but I saw it. “What kind of… guidelines? What are you gonna do with it?” he asked, but now, instead of sounding angry, he sounded like he was going to be sick.

The other man had a sad look in his eyes, and I could tell that he didn’t want to answer. “Because it’s contaminated, once the case is closed it’ll be incinerated.”

Now I really thought Yakko was going to be sick. Dot too. Myself three, for that matter. They… they were going to burn my hat? But, but that was

“- _ HIS FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD, AND YOU’RE GOING TO BURN IT TO ASHES?!?!?!” _

Now I really was afraid of Yakko. The look in his eyes was pure fury, and Scratchy had to grab him by the shoulder to prevent him from attacking the man. 

“Yakko, Yakko calm down!” Scratchy yelled. “It’s not his fault! He’s just doing his job!”

I was crying harder now. I’d never seen my brother like this before. He looked scary, like a monster from a nightmare with his fangs bared and his fur bristled. 

Dot was sobbing now too, and I wanted nothing more than to run over to her and hug her; mostly for her comfort, but my own too.

“Yakko, please stop!” she begged. “Please stop, you’re making everything worse!”

That got Yakko to stop. His expression had gone from rage to pain instantly. “W-what…” his voice was weak, as though he didn’t know what to say. Maybe he didn’t, but he was made to talk, he always knew what to say!

Didn’t he?

Now it was Dot’s turn to be angry. “This is hard enough without you lashing out at everyone! You’re making this worse! We’re all sad too, but we aren’t biting everyone’s heads off! Just shut up and stop!”

My breath caught in my throat; everyone’s seemed to accept Dot. She was still angry. “Wakko wouldn’t want this! He’d hate this! He’d hate the way you’re acting! You’re embarrassing everyone, and you’re making an ass of yourself! Stop ruining everything! Just do everyone a favor and shut the hell up for once!”

“Dot, zat’s enough!” Scratchy scolded, but her anger didn’t dissipate at all; it stayed firmly in place.

Yakko on the other hand looked like he was either going to faint or throw up. He was looking at Dot with so much pain in his eyes that it shook me out of my shock and let the crying resume.

“Yakko-....” I knew he couldn’t hear me, but I felt like I needed to try anyway. I wanted to tell him that I don’t blame him for being angry, but there was no way for me to.

Yakko looked down and swallowed hard. I could see the tears quickly welling in his eyes and the sadness and pain made my heart hurt even more. I hated all of this; I hated seeing my siblings so upset, I hated not being able to talk to them or feel them, I hated that all I could do was stand by and watch as my big brother’s strength seemed to crumble in front of my eyes. That wasn’t supposed to happen, he was always strong. 

Yakko walked away towards the bedrooms, even though Scratchy and the other man were trying to get him to come back, saying what I was thinking; she didn’t mean it. I know she didn’t, she got like this sometimes, but it had always been with me. It hurt, a lot, but that was always minor compared to this. I can’t imagine how badly it must have hurt this time. 

Yakko ignored them and went into his room, quietly closing his door. Scratchy looked down to Dot and scolded her and she started to argue back, but I wasn’t paying attention to that. I walked over to Yakko’s door, and almost knocked, but then I remembered he wouldn’t hear it either way. I hesitated before reaching for the doorknob, and to my surprise I could feel it. 

I opened the door, and saw that Yakko’s room was dark. I could see him lying in bed and walked over to him, the only light in the room coming from a few small nightlights that he used in the night to see where he was going if he needed to get up (or if me or Dot needed him).

I sniffled and wiped my eyes as I approached him, and I was surprised to see that his eyes were open; he was just… staring at the wall. Looking back to his eyes however, I could see that he was completely zoned out. I don’t know where his mind was, but it was deep inside his brain right now.

There was a small knock at the door and I turned to see Dot peeking through the door. She quietly came in, leaving the door open a crack, and walked over to Yakko.

“Yakko,” she said quietly, “I made breakfast for you; pancakes, your favorite!” she said, trying to sound optimistic, but it just made her sound sadder. 

Yakko didn’t respond in any way, he didn’t even blink. Wherever he was, he couldn’t hear Dot. But maybe…

“Yakko, you need to wake up now.” I hoped that he could hear me in this state, but he didn’t seem to. 

Dot climbed onto his bed and crawled over to him as guilty tears gathered in her eyes. 

“I’m so sorry, Yakko,” she said sadly, and her voice cracked before she could finish her apology. “I never should have said those mean things, I was just upset and sad and angry about everything and I took it out on you for feeling the same way. That wasn’t fair and I know I was nasty to you, but I need you, Yakko, I need you. I already lost Wakko, I can’t lose you too.”

By the time she finished she was sobbing. She felt so guilty, and I wished I could hug her. She scooted closer to Yakko so that she was snuggled against his chest. 

At first I didn’t think anything would change, but then Yakko slowly wrapped an arm around her, then both so that he was cradling her in a way. I could tell Dot felt relief by the way she started crying harder. 

“Yakko, please say something,” she whispered. I could tell that she needed to hear his voice for comfort. 

Yakko didn’t say anything, but he did close his eyes and start to purr. The deep rumble from his chest seemed to help soothe Dot, and the sound of it made me miss them even more. I missed Yakko purring for me when I was scared; It was comforting, and I needed some comfort at this point.

As I watched, I heard his bedroom door creak, and I saw as it opened a little further. I walked towards it and the bright light shining through it, and with one last look back to my siblings, I went through the door. 

I was met with some sort of waiting room with plush red and gold furniture. Everything smelled old. I looked around and saw Yakko sitting in the corner, and immediately ran over to him.

“Yakko! Yakko, please hear me, even just a little bit! Please just hear me a little bit!”

Just as usual, he didn’t react - completely oblivious to the fact that I was standing next to him. 

Something caught my eye, and I looked up to see Dot in a black dress. She looked sad and guilty, and she had tears resting in her eyes that she wouldn’t let fall. When she got over to him she hesitated before speaking. 

“Yakko?” she questioned. Her voice was quiet, as if she were trying to wake him up. I guess she kinda was. “Yakko?” she said again, but she shook his shoulder this time, and that seemed to help bring him out of his trance.

Yakko blinked a few times as he came out of his thoughts. He looked over at her with a very quiet "hmm?” but he didn’t speak. 

“People are starting to get here,” she said. Yakko’s face was blank. He didn’t look sad, or angry, or bored; he didn’t look… anything, but he pulled Dot close and kissed her head before standing up. Dot grabbed his hand, and I wonder if it was more for comfort, or to help lead him to where they needed to go. Something tells me that he could have just stayed standing in that spot for a long time. 

Before Dot could lead him anywhere though, Yakko picked her up. He proceeded to the room with the coffin, but he stopped halfway when Dot started to weep into his neck. He hugged her close and cupped her head before gently stroking her head. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he kissed her head again. He rubbed her back and began to purr again as he walked up to the casket. They went off to the side and stood by Scratchy so that people could stop and say how sorry they were for their loss. I saw people putting things into the coffin and went over to look inside. I saw Dot’s pink bear, the one I’d bought for her. She slept with that bear everynight and always kept it in her hammerspace so that it would be with her everywhere.

I also saw Yakko’s original copy of Frankenstein. He’d read it so many times and it was so old that I’m still surprised that it hadn't fallen apart yet. There were other things too; trinkets, pictures, and I saw Skippy’s autographed Spider Man comic. I was always so jealous over it! But why put these things in the coffin? The intention was sweet but they were just going to be buried, they were in better use with their owners. I headed back to my siblings when I saw him. He was here, he had the audacity to show up here, dressed in black, putting on a fake sad face. When he got to my coffin he put in a rose, just like he always wore on his hat, even when he was fighting to rape me in a small dirt room underground. He also put in a small stem of blue forget-me-nots. Blue and red, just like my signature sweater and hat. The hat that I no longer had. 

I wanted them out. Now. I didn’t want any piece of him with me. I wanted them out. I wanted them OUT.  _ I WANTED THEM OUT! _

All of a sudden there was a cracking sound, but I hardly noticed. I was too angry, too disgusted. And then he crossed the line. He touched them. He touched my siblings. The one thing I’d kill to be able to do. The thing he killed me over. He put his filthy hands, the hands he raped and murdered me with  _ on my siblings. _

I snapped. 

He didn’t get to come in here. He didn’t get to put anything in my coffin. He didn’t get to stay with me in the after life. And he  _ did not get to Touch. My. Siblings. _

“ _ STOOOOOOOP!”  _ I screamed angrily at him. If I were still alive my throat probably would have become raw. I screamed harder and louder and longer than I ever had before. I’d never felt fury like this before; I’d never felt so protective. Now I understood the rage that Yakko had felt before, I was feeling it now. He was a monster, he didn’t get to touch my siblings, or get close to them, or talk to them or think about them or even look at them. 

As I screamed my lungs out there was another crack, a louder one, and I was startled out of my rage, along with everyone else in the room, when the table holding the coffin broke and sent the coffin crashing to the floor. Everyone’s things! I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s things! 

Except Andy’s. I wanted everything about him to hurt.

When they got the coffin back on its back I could see that the coffin was okay, along with everything that was inside it. Except, I was happy to see, Andy’s flowers. They’d been crushed.

I wanted the same for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked this chapter! Like I said, I've been working a lot and I'm slowly losing my mental stability. Did you know that the Ballad of Magellan song is in tune to the chorus of John Denver's Calypso? Because I didn't until just now.
> 
> Be sure to leave a kudos and a comment if you liked this chapter and want me to continue with this story! You're comments always inspire me to write more and update more. I love to go back and read all of them once in a while, and it gives me the urge to write, so leave me with some comments to let me know ya liked it!


	7. It's Raining, it's Pouring, Brother Yakko is Snoring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wakko meets an unexpected but familiar face in his purgatory, things get to be too much for the remaining two Warner siblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: this chapter contains a section with a suicide attempt. If this is triggering for you, please read with your own digression, or skip it all together. I'll add a tldr at the bottom so that you get the gist of the chapter.

Once the viewing was over everyone took their seats. I stood next to Yakko and Dot, obviously. I hoped I could at least send some form of comfort their way, but so far I seemed to be completely severed from their world.

Dr. Scratchansniff had stayed up on the stage and now walked over to the podium on the other side. He cleared his throat.

“Vakko vas one of ze craziest kids I have ever met. He vas kookoo, he liked to eat my things und cause destruction, leaving my office a broken and dirty mess.” he said. I’d be lying if I said that while I felt a bit sorry for putting so much stress on the old man, I didn’t enjoy the rest; I’d been drawn to be that way, it was fun for me! “But he vas also one of ze sweetest kids I know. He’d alvays stop to help someone ven zey needed it, he vas alvays nice to others, but vould stand up for himself or others ven he needed to; he alvays defended others ven zey needed it. And last but not least, he loved vith all his heart. He vould have done anyzing for ze people he loved, especially his brother und sister. Ven it came down to it, he vas a vonderful child, und he didn’t deserve zis fate.”

I looked over to where Andy was sitting; his face was stoic, not showing one ounce of guilt or fear. He blended in with the crowd perfectly, and I hated it.

A few others went up to give little speeches; Slappy and Skippy, Ms. Nurse - who had come all the way back to Burbank just for my funeral, which I thought was very sweet - even Mr. Plotz went up and said a few words, though he kept his speech short, sweet and to the point, just like the businessman he’dn been before he retired. 

And then Dot went up. Her pace was somber, and when she climbed the small stairs to reach the podium she cleared her throat and began her speech with a shaky, quiet voice.

"Wakko was my big brother. We didn't always get along, but we still loved each other, and I'll always love him." She wiped at her eyes but tears continued to gather. "He was always there for me when I needed him, and he did little things to annoy me, but he did little things to make me happy too." She wiped at her eyes again as she began to cry, and I walked to and stood at the podium with her. I knew she wouldn't notice, but I couldn't just stand there while she started to cry. "I don't really know what to say," she cried softly, "I never thought I'd be doing this, I was never supposed to be doing this." She started crying harder. "He was supposed to still be here making me laugh or making me mad on purpose or eating an entire table of food, but he wasn't supposed to be  _ here,  _ missing, dead and…" she looked down as she began to sob. Quietly, so quiet that nobody else could hear her she whispered "I'm sorry, Wakko, I can't do this."

"It's okay, baby sister," I said back gently. 

Dr. Scratchansniff went up to the podium and picked her up, but as he walked back to the pew, Yakko held his arms out for her and grabbed her as she was lowered to him. He still looked numb, but he'd always take care of us, no matter what.

He held her as she wept into his suit coat and he hugged her close.

After the speeches were finished everyone gathered in their cars - the coffin in the hearse - and Yakko and Dot, Scratchy, Slappy and Skippy gathered into the black limo before the funeral procession led everyone to the graveyard. 

I'd wanted to go with them for support, even if it was unnoticed, but apparently I wasn't meant to. The scene before me began to disintegrate and blow away like all the others until all that was left was darkness.

* * *

The next thing I knew I felt a gentle breeze blowing on my face and through my whiskers. I used my fingers to feel the ground and was surprised to find that it was grass; soft grass. I opened my eyes to see that it was a beautiful green, and when I looked upwards I was met with a beautiful baby blue sky and light, wispy clouds. I looked to both sides and sat up, and I saw that I was someplace unfamiliar yet beautiful. There were trees and rivers and mountains and a crystal blue lake and more. It looked like something off of a postcard, and I couldn't help but feel happy just to be there. I didn't know why but I accepted it; it was nice to feel happy again.

I stood up and looked all around; it was all just as beautiful as the rest. But why was I here? I don't remember this place?

Suddenly I heard soft footsteps behind me. There were other people here too? How many were there?  _ Where am I _ ?

I turned around expecting to see another person, but instead I was met with…

Dot's pink teddy bear?

What on Earth? Or wherever this was. 

The bear was much larger now than it used to be, about a foot taller than I am; I could just meet his shoulder. It was standing there looking at me with it's black button eyes and stitched smile.

"E-Eddie?" I questioned? Eddie Teddy was the last…, well, anything I'd expected to see in the afterlife.

Eddie didn't say anything, but cocked his head slightly and waved at me.

I didn't feel threatened, or even freaked out. I just felt confused.

"Why are you here?"

Eddie looked up and raised his arms above his head, and for a moment the air became distorted and wavy, like an audio wave. Sure enough, I heard Dot's soft, sad voice.

_ "Please take care of him for us." _

When the message was over, the air went back to normal and Eddie lowered his arms.

"So… you're here to take care of me?"

Eddie simply nodded once.

"Well, you can start by telling me where I am, and why am I here?"

Eddie came to my side and placed a stuffed stub of a hand on my shoulder, and with the other he pointed to the point where two mountains met. There was a glowing golden light, just visible through the trees and between the hills. It reminded me of the wishing star.

"Is that where I'm supposed to go?" I asked, and Eddie gave a single nod again. "What's over there?" I asked. "Is that Heaven?"

Eddie nodded again and looked from me to the light. "We'll come on!" I said as I grabbed his arm, "Let's get go-" 

I was cut off as I was yanked back and fell on my butt. It was as though Eddie were made of concrete; he wouldn't budge. 

"What gives, Eddie? I thought that's where I was going?"

Eddie nodded once more.

"Then come on! Let's go! The faster the better, right?!"

Eddie gently shook his head 'no' and used his arms to make a patting down sort of motion. "Huh? Slowly?" I wasn't sure how I understood him so easily, but I did; I understood him as easily as if he were talking. "Why slowly?" I asked as Eddie helped me up. He didn't say anything, but I understood anyway. "There's still more for me to see?"

Eddie nodded again.

"Like what? I don't want to see my sibs sad anymore, it hurts too much."

_ You can't reach heaven until you've tied your loose ends; there's still more you have to see and do. I can't tell you what it is, but I'm here to help guide you through it. _

"But what loose ends do I have? What unfinished business? Is there a sandwich somewhere that I didn't finish?"

_ I can’t tell you, but there's more that you're supposed to do before you can get to Heaven. _

I hummed frustratedly; there were a lot of things I didn't do when I was alive, what was so special that I couldn't get to Heaven yet?

_ As it turns out, I wouldn't like the answer. _

* * *

Eddie and I began our journey towards Heaven. So far, it wasn't very exciting; just a lot of walking. The grass was really soft though, which was nice. 

_ Thank you for giving me to Dot, I was very loved by her. _

I looked up to the bear and smiled. "You're welcome. She really did love you; you're probably her favorite thing out of everything I've ever given her."

For a moment we walked silently, but then Eddie spoke up. 

_ She really loves you. She misses you. _

That made me stop in my tracks.

"...I know," I said, and I could feel tears build up in my eyes. "I really love and miss her too. Her  _ and  _ Yakko. I just want to be with them again." I wiped my eyes, and a question popped into my head. "Is that what Heaven is? Getting to be with my sibs again?" I asked excitedly.

Eddie shrugged.  _ There's no way of knowing until you get there. I'm just a teddy bear, I don't know about these things; but I imagine that whatever it is it's nice, and you'll be happy. Judging by what the humans seem to think, Heaven takes the form of what your heart most desires. _

I nodded. "I hope I get to be with my sibs again, I miss them so much it hurts."

We walked in silence together for a little while longer. I had a question to ask, but I was scared of the answer.

"Hey, Eddie?"

_ Yes? _

"Do-... Do you think that Yakko's gonna be okay? Dot's doing alright and staying strong, but Yakko… he's never been like this before, and he's not getting better. I don't think he's said a word in weeks, and that's a really, really bad sign."

Eddie was silent for a moment. 

_ I don't know. Losing you hit him a lot differently than it hit your sister. I'm not sure how he'll recover, or when. I wish I had the answer for you. _

I nodded sadly. "Thanks, Eddie," I said, but it was only half-heartedly. I was scared for Yakko; he was always talking and joking and energetic. Now he was just… a shell.

* * *

As it turns out, the walk to Heaven wasn't just the hills and trees it appeared to be. Our surroundings changed in cool and fun ways.

At one point we walked into a patch of trees with photos of various things hanging from their branches like apples; things like outer space or a crystal clear beach. I reached up and plucked one off and found myself inside the picture! I was on a bright Sandy Beach, I could even run in the ocean! When I wanted to leave, I could simply jump out of the picture and into the next. I went to the beach, outer space, New York City; it was amazing!

We jumped from the rain forest into a winter wonderland. I'd never seen real snow before, but it was beautiful! Eddie and I made snow angels and snowmen and had a snowball fight, and we ice skated our way to the end of the snowy picture and jumped into the sandy hills of Egypt. We saw the pyramids and the sphinx, and the sphinx was alive! It acted like a content house cat; its giant tail wagging back and forth as it meowed at us. We even ran all the way up one of the pyramids! It was unbelievable, but I knew it was real just by watching the sand run through my fingers and feeling it between my toes; nice and warm, but not hot like the sand at the beaches back home.

Eventually we wandered into a large meadow with little flowers scattering the grass. It was very pretty, but the sky was dark with big white clouds in the sky. Somewhere in my mind I heard Yakko’s voice saying ‘cumulonimbus’. My stomach began to twist. Something was off; this place was different, it wasn’t supposed to be dark and gloomy here.

Suddenly there was a large crash, but it didn’t sound like thunder; it sounded like something huge had fallen and hit the ground. Before I could ask Eddie what was going on it started to hail, HARD.

Eddie grabbed me by the hand and we ran over to a large tree to hide under. I bent over to catch my breath, not so much from the running but just from the scare from the noise. As I was bent over, however, with my hands on my knees I realized that I wasn’t wet. Hail was ice, ice was water, so I should be at least a little wet by now, shouldn’t I? It wasn’t until I turned around and looked to the meadow that I got my answer. 

It wasn’t hail, it was pills.

I looked up to the sky. They weren’t cumulonimbus clouds, they weren’t clouds at all. They were pill bottles.

I didn't know what was going on but I knew it wasn't good. I turned to run and ran right into the water tower living room. I looked around; the tower was dark and quiet, except for the bathroom. Light shone under the door which had been left open slightly, and I could hear water running. I went over to the door and cautiously peaked inside. At first I didn't see anything but pills and empty bottles scattered across the counter. When I looked down, I saw my big brother, laying on his back, seizing and choking on vomit and God knows what else. 

He'd overdosed. Oh god. 

No, no h-he wouldn't do that.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; this couldn’t be Yakko. Yakko wouldn't be on the bathroom floor after a suicide attempt because he’d never make a suicide attempt. He wouldn’t have his eyes half open with his body twitching on the floor while our baby sister was asleep across the hall. He wouldn’t leave her alone, he wouldn't.

Still, I dropped to the floor to his side and grabbed his hand. With tears in my eyes I tried to snap him out of it. I knew he couldn’t hear me but-

I could feel him. He didn’t feel completely physical, but definitely firmer than he had before.

“Yakko, Yakko you need to stop!” I cried, as if he had any choice in the matter anymore. I could feel him getting firmer and firmer as he slipped away. I couldn’t let this happen, I needed to do something! I needed to wake Dot up so she could call 9-1-1. 

Without thinking I grabbed one of the pill bottles off the floor and threw it across the hall at Dot's door. I didn’t even notice that I'd touched something real until I heard the bottle hit the door, but even then I didn’t care, all I cared about was what was happening to my brother. 

As I'd hoped, Dot had woken up and stepped into the hallway. I could hear her footsteps coming closer; I really didn't want her to see this, but it was the only way to get Yakko help.

She screamed, as I'd been expecting, and ran to his side. 

"No, Dot, you have to call 9-1-1! Don't come in here, go get the phone!" 

As though she'd heard me, Dot got up and ran into her room to get her cellphone before coming back into the bathroom.

"I need an ambulance, fast! My brother overdosed and he's dying!"

As Dot panicked on the phone I panicked at the fact that Yakko's hand was far more solid than it had been just a moment ago; he was fading fast. Then - to make it worse - as his eyes began to lose the life they reflected, Yakko looked at me. Not in my general direction, he looked me dead in the eyes.

He could  _ see me. _

"Yakko," I sobbed, "you need to hold on, you can't leave Dot all alone! She needs you, our baby sister needs you! Don't leave her all alone, please!"

Before I knew it there were paramedics filling the bathroom. I couldn’t get that great of a look, but I could see a syringe being shoved up Yakko’s nose, and I saw as they placed a ventilator over his face. Dot was sobbing In the doorway and I went over to her. I wished I could hug her, we both needed it more than anything in that moment. 

Once they had him all hooked up they loaded Yakko onto a stretcher and then brought him out to the balcony, where they carefully lowered him down to the ambulance. One of the EMT's asked Dot if there was an adult who could come and take care of her so she wasn't alone, and that's what brought Dr. Scratchansniff to the WB movie lot at quarter to four in the morning. He and Dot rushed to the hospital and were simply told to wait in the waiting room, and wait we did. We waited, and waited, and waited. We waited for what felt like forever until someone finally came to give us - well, them - an update.

Immediately Dot jumped up. “How is he? Please tell me he’s okay!” Dot yelled. She’d stopped crying, for now, but that didn’t mean she had stopped worrying. If anything, She’d probably worried more and more with each passing moment; I know I did.

“He’s not out of the woods yet, but at the moment he’s doing better than worse. That may change of course but for now, we can at least hold onto some hope.” the doctor said, “He’s extremely weak. You’re lucky you found him when you did; if you’d waited any longer he may not have survived.”

There was a collective sigh between the three of us. Now I know what Eddie meant when he said I still have more to do; if I hadn’t been there Dot wouldn’t have woken up when she did, and Yakko would have died. I needed to be there to help my siblings move on before I could, no matter how I did it.

“He’s been through a lot tonight; he’s had his stomach pumped, and…” the doctor hesitated for just a moment as she threw a quick glance at Dot, but continued. “He slipped into cardiac arrest twice, one of the times his heart stopped for about two minutes, but thankfully we were able to revive him.” The doctor paused again. “Because this was a suicide attempt, he will need to be baker acted. We’ve made arrangements to have him transferred to the psychiatric ward at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital once he’s healed, but we need your approval first. If there’s a different location-” 

“No, no, zat vill be fine; I know zat’s a very good facility, and it’s not so far avay.”

The doctor nodded. “I just need the signature of his guardian.”

“Zat vould be me,” Scratchy said. He wasn't our legal guardian, but he did watch over the three of us, and when it came to legal stuff like this, he could make decisions like this for us.

The doctor sat down next to Dr Scratchansniff and went over the paperwork, which he seemed to be familiar with, but I guess because he was a psychiatrist, it made sense that he did.

Dot was still just sitting there, clutching her stomach and staring dead ahead, but she was completely zoned out. I knew that she just wanted to see Yakko - so did I - but that at the same time, she didn’t know how to feel. Yakko had tried to kill himself, he’d chosen to leave her all alone, but at the same time he wasn’t in his right mind when he made the decision; it was the grief and depression pushing him over the edge. If I were being honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it either.

“Alright, we’ll call in for the transfer once he’s in a more stable condition. If you’d like to see him you can, but you’ll have to let him rest. He’s in room 4832,” the doctor pointed down the hall. “I’ll be in to check on him, but in the meantime I’ll have a nurse show you how to use the remote for the call button.”

“Zat von’t be necessary, but thank you. I’m familiar vith this hospital.”

“Sure thing. Room 4832, last room on the left.” She said again, and Dot took off sprinting after her. I ran with her. Scratchy was yelling at her to stop but she didn’t until she got to Yakko’s room. She stopped right before it, as though she were afraid to go in. I couldn’t blame her, I was scared to see Yakko like this too. He wasn’t supposed to be weak in the hospital.

Dr. Scratchansniff put a hand on her back for support and gave her a small, sad smile before guiding her in. I went in with her and we had the same reaction; we both gasped when we saw Yakko in the hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown, hooked up to wires and looking so, so weak. I got choked up and the sight and I could see Dot had too. With tears in our eyes we ran over to his bed, one of us one each side.

“Yakko…” I said quietly. It came out cracked and weak as tears rolled down my cheeks. I hated seeing my family like this; I hated knowing that Yakko was so heartbroken that he could hardly function; that he’d tried to kill himself because the pain was too much. I hated knowing that Dot had to carry the weight of both of their grief on her shoulders by herself, and I could see the toll it was taking on her, and this seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I gently tried to grab Yakko’s hand. It wasn’t nearly as firm as it was before, thankfully, but it was firmer than it should have been. Like the nurse said, he wasn’t out of the woods yet; something bad could still happen to him.

_ He could still die. _

I silenced the thought and continued to hold Yakko’s hand as best as I could. I don’t know how much time passed - aside from the fact that I was distracted, time seemed to move differently in the afterlife than in the living world - but a quick glance at the clock informed me that it had been almost four hours. For a while I thought that Yakko would sleep forever, but then his hand twitched and he slowly opened his eyes. Dot, who had been sitting on his bedside, gasped and almost lunged for him, but Dr. Scratchansniff caught her in time.

“Gently, my dear, gently.”

He let go of her and she crawled as close to him as possible without sitting directly on top of him. She had tears in her eyes and she began heaving as he woke up more and more. Dot let out a sob and gently laid her head on his shoulder. I wish I could have done the same.

Yakko looked around wearily and weakly put an arm around Dot. He didn’t say anything, but it was obvious that he was confused.

“Zank God you’re avake,” Dr. Scratchansniff said, and he held Yakko’s hand, “ve veren’t sure if you vould make it for a moment there.” Yakko looked at him, still confused. “You overdosed, Yakko. Dot found you on ze bathroom floor. Ve almost lost you, Yakko, several times.”

At the mention of why we were here in the first place, Dot sat up and looked at him with so much pain in her eyes.

“How could you?” she said with a sob. “How could you leave me all alone? You were going to leave me all alone!” she cried.

Yakko didn’t say anything, and after him being mute for so long I wasn’t sure if he could, but he looked sad and remorseful.

“You’re all I have left! How could you just leave me alone? Don’t you love me too?”

Yakko nodded his head gently and tried to put a hand on Dot’s cheek, but she pushed it away.

“Don’t. Just don’t. I know you miss him; I miss him too, but I wouldn’t leave you all alone after losing him like you tried to. Would you really rather be with him? You’re so upset that you can’t see him ever again that you’d choose to never see me again? Aren’t I enough?” She sobbed. “I’ve been trying so hard, Yakko. I’ve been trying so hard to be strong for the both of us because I know how badly this has affected you, but then you try something like this? After all I’ve done these past few weeks and you were just going to leave me all alone?”

Yakko didn’t say anything as expected, but there were sad, guilty tears in his eyes.

“I cry myself to sleep every night, did you know that? I cry because I miss Wakko. I cry because I’ll never know what happened to him, and because I’ll never see him again. I cry because I see how sad you are. I cry every night because there’s just so much and…” she had to pause for a moment before she could continue. She bowed her hand as her body slumped down onto her knees. “I can’t do this anymore, Yakko. I lost him too, and now you put me through this. I miss him too, but I’ve had to feel everything else for the both of us while you hide from it, and I can’t do it anymore, I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

Dot jumped off of the bed and ran into the hallway as Dr. Scratchansniff called after her.

He looked back to Yakko, who now had tears running down his cheeks; he was showing more emotion now than he had since he learned I’d died.

“I’ll go try to calm her down. Just try to rest for now,” Scratchy said before getting up and leaving the room to find Dot. I could tell that while he was glad Yakko was okay, he agreed with Dot. Truth be told, so did I.

I know that this had all hit Yakko differently than it had hit Dot. Maybe it hit him harder, or maybe it just hit him in a different way, but they both had their own way of feeling sad about my death. But while I understood why Yakko’s reaction would be different from Dot’s, what Dot had said was true; it wasn’t fair of him to put everything on her shoulders, and it wasn’t fair of him to try to leave her all alone, especially when she’d been trying so hard to help make everything a little bit better for the both of them, and he’d been ignoring it - ignoring everything, including her.

I didn’t want to use the word ‘selfish’ because I know he wasn’t doing it on purpose; grief can hit us however it wants to, and we don’t get a choice in the matter, but that doesn’t mean that what he did was okay. 

I was angry with him; I was genuinely mad at him - furious even - for doing what he did. I never would have forgiven him if he’d left Dot all alone willingly. I could never hate my brother, but a part of me did in that moment; a small part of me deep down.

I was heartbroken at the same time. I was heartbroken over how sad he must have been to try something like this. Yakko always put us first, and - just like Dot had been doing the past several weeks - had always been the one to stay strong for us. He’d never do anything that could even possibly hurt us if he had a choice, so the fact that he’d done something this severe, along with the fact that he hadn’t spoken in weeks meant that something was very  _ very  _ wrong.

I looked from Yakko to the doorway that Dot had run out of, and back to Yakko.

My family was breaking, and there was nothing I could do but watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TLDR: Wakko runs into Dot's old teddy bear, Eddie, who is there to help guide him through purgatory. Yakko overdoses and ends up in the hospital. Dot unleashes all of the feelings she's been keeping pent up this whole time.
> 
> Oof, writing this chapter made me feel... Things. imma go read some fluff to decompress (or eat Ben and Jerry's Phish food and print pictures for my picture book while listening to music)
> 
> Be sure to leave a kudos and comment if you liked this chapter and would like to see more. I love going in and re-reading all of your comments; it really let's me know you guys like my story, and that motivates me to write more so I can update faster for y'all.
> 
> After all, why saw down a tree with a butter knife?


	8. Sterile White Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wakko, Yakko and Dot's perspectives on the aftermath of Yakko's overdose. Dot makes a promise to herself that she intends to keep, no matter what.

Despite my anger, I decided to stay with Yakko. Dot wouldn’t notice me there anyway and besides, she had Dr. Scratchansniff. Yakko was all alone, after a suicide attempt, looking and probably feeling guiltier than I’d ever seen him before. 

After Scratchy went after Dot, Yakko hugged his knees to his chest and cried. He sounded so tired, so sad; he sounded like he knew he’d messed up and hurt the only family he had left and regretted it more than anything, but was still pulled so far down into his grief that he couldn’t climb out. It reminded me of Poltergeist when the mom had to climb up the muddy slope, but just kept sliding down into the pool; Yakko was trying to climb out of his grief but kept sliding back down.

I'd never seen Yakko like this before. Since I died I’ve seen many sides of my siblings that I’ve never seen before, especially Yakko, but I’d never seen him like this before; pure and bare and unrestrained in the way he was feeling. He didn’t have to hold back for anyone and he cried openly and more honestly than I’d ever seen of him. 

In that moment, he didn’t look like Yakko, my big brother - the person I loved and looked up to more than anyone, the person that made everything okay and always made me feel better. In that moment he looked like Yakko, a fourteen year-old boy who’d raised his siblings for decades, loved them more than anything, and then suddenly had one viciously ripped away. He looked like a kid who didn’t know what to do or how to handle the situation this time; he looked regretful, sad and scared.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and I wiped them away with one arm and put my other arm around Yakko’s shoulders to hug him as best I could from down on the floor. His back flinched ever so slightly, as though he could feel me, and I hoped that in some way he could. As his muscles relaxed I felt a strange urge to put my hand on his back. I wasn’t sure why, but at this point I was sure that it meant I was supposed to for some reason or another. 

Cautiously I raised my hand and went to place it on the upper center of his back. I hesitated a moment before reaching to touch his back, but my hand didn’t stop at his back, it went straight through. It startled me, and I almost pulled my hand back out, but I didn’t. I kept reaching in until my hand was surrounded by warmth, and as soon as it was I was hit with several emotions at once. My heart hurt more than it ever had, so badly that it genuinely felt like it was breaking and I almost fell to my knees. My body and mind felt numb, but at the same time my thoughts were foggy and I couldn’t focus on anything but sadness and… images of me? I suddenly felt angry at Yakko again, beyond furious. I hated him. I hated him with every fiber of my being, more than I'd ever hated anyone or anything. He was a fuck up

_ No _

that got his brother killed and almost left our baby sister all alone because he was a selfish

_ No _

pathetic

_ Stop _

worthless

_ No this isn't me _

horrible older brother and my sibs would be better off without me. I got Wakko killed; I heard him that night, I  _ heard _ him. All I needed to do was listen to my gut and maybe I could have saved him. Maybe my baby brother would still be here if I'd never been created. And Dot… Dot hates me now - everyone does - because I'm selfish and I almost left her alone and she's so young and I'm putting this on her shoulders and she doesn't deserve that, she doesn't deserve a brother like me and she knows that now, and she hates me. The only family I have left and she hates me because I’m selfish and I hurt her and now I don’t have anyone left. I should have taken more pills, I should have started sooner, then she wouldn’t have found me in time and she wouldn’t be stuck with such a rotten brother. She’d be sad at first but she’d get over it and realize that she’s better off without me and that all I did was make her miserable because I put so much weight on her shoulders instead of being there for her because I’m  _ selfish _ and  _ rotten _ and  _ horrible _ . I should have been the one that died that night. I could have saved Wakko and died in his place and they'd both be better off, they'd both be happier. Scratchy would be happier. They’d all be happier because they all know that my sweet little brother died while I'm still here; a rotten, worthless, selfish, horrible person and older brother.

_ No, no these aren't my thoughts, they aren't in my head, they're in Yakko's, not mine. I'd never feel that way about him. Never never ever. _

I was feeling Yakko's feelings, I was hearing his thoughts. The heart wrenching sadness, the white-hot fury, the nauseating guilt - not just over what had happened with Dot but with me too; he blamed himself and it was so heavy that it made me choke up and start crying, hard, and in no time at all I was sobbing. He'd heard me screaming for him that night, just barely, and he didn't go to look for me, and the guilt of that was killing him, and now he had this weight on top of him too; it was crushing him.

There was so much pain, so much sadness and guilt and numbness and anger and fear, and I could suddenly understand perfectly well why Yakko had done what he’d done. I ripped my hand back and held it close as I continued sobbing - harder than Yakko at this point. I wasn’t sure if it was from feeling Yakko’s feelings, or knowing that Yakko had been feeling that way all this time. He’d been feeling this for almost a month now, but I could barely stand a few seconds.

Every sob Yakko let out hurt my heart more and made me sob harder, and it made me want to leave. I wanted to leave, I wanted to get away from here, it was suddenly suffocating and I had to get away. I didn’t want to leave Yakko alone with those feelings but I couldn’t help it. I hugged myself tight - part of me pretended it was Yakko hugging me - and fell to my knees as I sobbed, but instead of landing on the hardwood floor of the hospital room I landed on soft grass. I opened my eyes and looked around to find that I was back in the meadow. It was still a bit cloudy, but nowhere near as dark as it had been before.

I sat there as I tried to calm my sobs and catch my breath, when suddenly a familiar voice spoke up behind me.

_ Now do you understand, Wakko? You still have more to do. _

As first I felt relieved to hear Eddie, and I wanted to run over and hug him tight, but it only lasted a second before that relief turned to rage. I stood up and ran at Eddie and started beating him in the stomach.

“You asshole! You knew! You knew and you didn’t tell me! You never told me I’d have to watch my brother die! You never told me I’d have to watch my family break apart! You never told me! You never told me! You never…” I couldn’t even finish before I started sobbing again, almost as hard as I had been a moment ago in the hospital. My arms weakened against the bear’s stomach and soon I was hugging him as hard as I could as I cried into his soft pink chest. Eddie hadn’t moved the entire time I’d been attacking him, but he hugged me back without hesitation. It felt nice. It was no hug from Yakko or Dot, but it was warm and comforting and it was encasing. 

Once I finally cried all of the tears I could, I sniffled and looked up at Eddie’s face. “I’m sorry for hitting you, Eddie, and getting mad at you. I’m sorry.” Apparently I still had a few tears left, because apologizing to Eddie about the mean things I did made me feel so guilty that more gathered in my eyes.

Eddie used a hand to wipe my cheeks.  _ It’s okay. That’s what I’m here for, remember? I’m sorry I can’t warn you about these things, but I’ll be here for you when you come across them. _

I sniffled again and nodded. “I’m still sorry I hit you, and got mad at you. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, it was mean of me to do that.”

_ I forgive you, my friend. _

* * *

All Yakko could feel was the heavy weight in his heart; it felt like someone had dropped an anchor on it. And the feeling in the pit of his stomach… The nausea made the pain in his heart feel heavier and the heaviness in his heart made the nause swarm in his stomach like a hornets nest that had just been kicked.

Besides the pain in his heart and the nausea in his stomach, he didn’t feel anything. He had thoughts in his head that taunted him, but the pain had gotten to the point where it couldn’t possibly hurt anymore than it already did, and it simply numbed itself. His body felt like it was filled with novocaine; numb, but just enough of an uncomfortable tingle to remind you that you were still there.

He felt everything and nothing at the same time. He didn’t think it was possible until he’d started having depressive episodes a few years back. He’d lie in bed and nothing could evoke any emotion from him; not his sibs, not his friends, not his favorite books or activities. He’d just lie there, unable to focus on anything, no thoughts in his head, no emotion to feel. It was like his consciousness was trapped inside an empty shell, but his personality had left his body behind to go somewhere else.

Yakko looked at his reflection in the mirror. There were so many conflicting thoughts in his head

_ Do it _

_ No, I can’t leave Dot alone _

_ You deserve this you piece of shit _

_ I deserve this _

_ You let Wakko die _

_ I let Wakko die _

_ You deserve this _

_ Dot will be better off without you _

_ No, she needs me, I’m all she has left _

_ She’ll get over it and she’ll remember you as nothing more than a failure of a big brother that let her brother die and moped about it for a month _

_ She needs me _

_ She has Scratchy and Slappy and her friends. She’ll get on without you just fine. You’re one person in her life, she has plenty of others to replace you with. You deserve this you stupid piece of shit _

_ I deserve this _

_ Dot would be better off _

_ I’m selfish _

_ I’m weak _

_ I’m pathetic _

_ I deserve this _

_ Pathetic _

_ Pathetic _

_ Pathetic _

Yakko made sure the door was closed before opening the medicine cabinet. He took out everything from advil and ibuprofen to allergy meds; any pill that was in that cabinet he took out and placed on this counter. He closed the cabinet door gently as he stared at the bottles in front of him. There were tears in his eyes as his heart and his mind fought in a ‘do this don’t do this’ way, and he wasn’t sure which side was which.

He turned on the sink and filled his glass with water, scared out of his mind but the feeling of need outweighed it. He opened all of the bottles and with a deep breath he began pouring pills into his hand. He took as many as he could as quickly as he could and when a bottle was empty he’d simply knock it to the floor to get it out of the way. His vision began to blur horribly and he could feel as his body became heavy; it felt like he was made out of steel, even lifting his hand to his mouth felt like there was a fifty pound weight attached. 

But he kept going.

He kept swallowing the pills down until his vision left him and he heard a thud. His body felt so heavy that it was hard to move.

Who was holding his hand?

He looked over and saw Wakko. He was a little out of focus, but he was getting clearer and clearer. What was Wakko doing here? Why was Wakko here? He was crying. He was saying something but Yakko couldn’t hear what. 

Yakko wanted to try to listen, but his body felt so heavy, his lungs felt so heavy, and he could feel his blood racing through every vein in his body. He was so tired, he couldn’t help but let his eyes slip shut.

There was a scream.

Suddenly there were more people there. They looked like… like…

They placed something over his mouth and nose, and it helped him breath a little easier, but his body kept getting heavier and heavier.

The next thing he knew he was waking up. He felt so tired; what had happened? Why did his stomach hurt so much. Why was he in the hospital hooked up to I.Vs and monitors?

He felt weak, so weak that he could barely-

Suddenly a black blur climbed onto the bed and curled next to him. It took him a moment to realize it was Dot, and the thought of having her here, the thought of her curled against him in his arms made him feel… happy. Even if he was too tired and disoriented to show it, having her there made him feel so happy he could cry.

He heard Scratchy’s voice and felt him take his hand, but he was still a little too weak to squeeze it back.

“- ve veren’t sure if you vould make it for a moment there.”

What did that mean? What had happened? The last thing he remembered was laying in bed. Had he had a stroke or a heart attack?

“You overdosed, Yakko. Dot found you on ze bathroom floor. Ve almost lost you, Yakko, several times.”

Wait, what? No he wouldn’t do that to Dot no matter how sad- 

“How could you?” Dot asked. She was crying. No, he wouldn't have… this was a bad dream, he’d never- “how could you leave me all alone? You were going to leave me all alone!”

What? No, no no no he’d never do that to her, not after already losing Wakko, this was a dream, it had to be, and he wanted to wake up.

“You’re all I have left! How could you just leave me all alone? Don’t you love me too?” She sobbed

All Yakko could manage to do was nod. He felt numb, but this time it was numb with fear. Had he really tried to kill himself? Had he really risked Dot, his baby sister, being all alone?

_ Of course I love you, sweetheart. _

He tried to put a hand on her cheek but she pushed it away. “Don’t. Just don’t.” She looked down and pressed her lips together, trying to keep a grip on herself. That didn’t stop her voice from breaking though. “I know you miss him; I miss him too, but I wouldn’t leave you all alone after losing him like you tried to.” She looked at him with a heartbroken, wounded look in her eyes. “Would you really rather be with him? You’re so upset that you can’t see him ever again that you’d choose to never see me again? Aren’t I enough?” She sobbed. “I’ve been trying so hard, Yakko. I’ve been trying so hard to be strong for the both of us because I know how badly this has affected you, but then you try something like this? After all I’ve done these past few weeks and you were just going to leave me all alone?”

Yakko felt sick to his stomach. How could he do this to her?

_ Because you’re selfish _

He felt as tears gathered in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

Dot took in a weak, shuddering breath before continuing. “I cry myself to sleep every night, did you know that? I cry because I miss Wakko. I cry because I’ll never know what happened to him, and because I’ll never see him again. I cry because I see how sad you are. I cry every night because there’s just so much and…”

Yakko watched as her body slumped down, defeated. “I can’t do this anymore, Yakko.”

_ Dot, please no.  _ PLEASE  _ no. _

“I lost him too, and now you put me through this.”

_ No, Dot, please don’t do this. I’ll make it better I swear, just please don’t leave me. Don’t leave me all alone. Please. _

“I miss him too, but I’ve had to feel everything else for the both of us while you hide from it, and I can’t do it anymore, I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

_ Dot, no. Please, Dot. _

Dot jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. 

“Dot, wait! Come back here!” Dr. Scratchansniff called. But Dot didn’t return. With a sigh he looked to Yakko. “I’ll go try to calm her down. Just try to rest for now.” He stood up and left the room without another word.

_ He hates you too now _

_ He should, they all should _

_ Look at what you’ve done to your baby sister _

_ She suffered the same loss but instead of being there for her, your baby sister had to hide her grief to take care of her shitty older brother _

The room was empty, and he was left all…  _ alone.  _ There was no one there with him, he was all alone and he hated it, but he deserved it. He deserved the pain, the loneliness. He deserved it all.

Despite how weak he felt he pulled his knees up to his chest and cried. He cried harder than he had in weeks. All of the pain and sorrow that the numbness had hidden from him came to him all at once. A chill ran down his spine and he cried harder

_ I’ve failed everyone. I failed my baby brother, my baby sister, my friends, everyone. I’m a burden to them. _

He was so angry with himself. He’d hurt the only people he had left. He was so fucking selfish. He thought about Wakko, what must have happened to him and that fueled his rage. He promised he’d always keep them safe, and instead he’d gotten one killed. 

He hated himself. He was so fucking pissed at himself that he wanted to smash his head through the door, beat the crap out of himself - anything to cause himself pain because he deserved it; God did he fucking deserve it. 

_ I’m a fuckup. I’m a fuckup that got his brother killed and almost left our baby sister all alone because I’m a selfish, pathetic, worthless, horrible older brother and my sibs would be better off without me. I got Wakko killed; I heard him that night, I heard him. All I needed to do was listen to my gut and maybe I could have saved him. Maybe my baby brother would still be here if I'd never been created. And Dot… Dot hates me now - everyone does - because I'm selfish and I almost left her alone and she's so young and I'm putting this on her shoulders and she doesn't deserve that, she doesn't deserve a brother like me and she knows that now, and she hates me. The only family I have left and she hates me because I’m selfish and I hurt her and now I don’t have anyone left. I should have taken more pills, I should have started sooner, then she wouldn’t have found me in time and she wouldn’t be stuck with such a rotten brother. She’d be sad at first but she’d get over it and realize that she’s better off without me and that all I did was make her miserable because I put so much weight on her shoulders instead of being there for her because I’m selfish and rotten and horrible. I should have been the one that died that night. I could have saved Wakko and died in his place and they'd both be better off, they'd both be happier. Scratchy would be happier. They’d all be happier because they all know that my sweet little brother died while I'm still here; a rotten, worthless, selfish, horrible person and older brother. _

He felt that these thoughts were true, and it made him cry even harder. He grabbed the pillow from behind him and cried into it to muffle the sound. Scratchy had closed the door, but he didn’t want to chance it. He wanted to be alone. He  _ deserved  _ to be alone. It was his sentence for his crimes and he wanted to serve it, it was all he could do to try and fill some of his guilt.

He cried so hard he started coughing, but he didn’t stop until he felt like he was going to throw up. At that point all he could do was try and catch his breath. He felt cold and tired, so he placed the pillow behind him once more and pulled the sheets up to his chin, trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep.

* * *

Dot had run all the way to the end of the hallway where there was a small, private waiting room that overlooked the town. She shut the door harder than she’d meant too, but if she’d been anywhere else she would have slammed it. She climbed onto one of the chairs and curled into a ball as tightly as she could before she let herself resume crying.

How could Yakko do this to her? She knew he was sad, but she was sad too and she hadn’t tried to take her own life! She’d never doubted he loved her until now. He had been willing to leave her all alone to be with Wakko; he didn’t even care.

But she knew that wasn’t true. She knew he loved her, she knew that he wasn’t himself and she knew that he couldn’t help it. She knew that if he could think straight he wouldn’t have done something like this, but the grief was drowning him. 

She didn’t mind taking care of him the past few weeks because he’d taken care of her for decades. She thought about what she’d said; ‘after all I’ve done these past few weeks’. What about all that Yakko had done in the past 85 years since they’d been created. He’d raised them, he’d gotten injured for them, he’d taken the blame for them several times, and yet here she was complaining about a few weeks. 

The idea of losing Yakko - especially now that he was all she had left - terrified her, and that fear resulted in anger. Yakko had done everything for both of them for so long and never complained, yet here she was saying such horrible things about having to take the roll for a few weeks. Losing Wakko hurt, so much, but it probably hurt Yakko more after taking care of him for all of these years.

Dot was startled out of her thoughts as she felt a hand on her back, and she turned to see Dr. Scratchansniff. He knelt down besides her chair and she turned to look at him with teary eyes. 

“Was I too hard on him? I know he isn’t okay, I don’t want to make him any worse. I just don’t want to lose him too.”

Scratchy gently rubbed her back. “I confess I don’t know, meine liebchen. I can’t answer zat for you. All I can say is zat I know this has been very hard on ze both of you, and you’ve handled it in different ways.”

Dot hesitated. “He’s taken care of us for so long, and I can’t even handle a few weeks of taking care of him. Does that make me selfish?”

“No no no, Dot, you’re not selfish. It’s like you said; right now he’s the one that needs to be taken care of, and you’ve been so selfless by taking on that task alone, but he needs more help than you can give him; that’s why they’re sending him to a special part of the children’s hospital.”

Dot turned to look out the window to process her thoughts. She wanted Yakko to be okay, but she needed to be okay too, and she hadn’t gotten the chance to work on herself yet. Maybe Yakko going to the hospital wasn’t such a bad thing; it would give her a break and Yakko could get the help he really needed. The only problem was that she wasn’t sure she could stand seeing Yakko there; he was never supposed to be this way and seeing him in that type of situation… well, she wasn’t sure she could stand it.

“This is killing him, Scratchy. He’s always been so strong, and if he’s like this… What if he’s never okay again?”

Dr. Scratchansniff sighed. “It’s true that Yakko isn’t himself right now, but he will be. I think zat zis has maybe woken him up a little bit, and ze doctors at ze hospital he’s going to vill be able to help him.”

“You’re a psychiatrist, and you weren’t able to help him,” she pointed out. Scratchy had been to the tower almost every day to try to help Yakko, but it hadn’t done much good. 

“I don’t specialize in child psychiatry though, I was assigned to you three because I was the only psychiatrist on ze lot. But ze doctors in ze children’s psych vard  _ are  _ trained to work with children.”

Dot continued to stare out of the window. “I don’t think I can see him like that, Scratchy. He isn’t supposed to be there. Things have changed so much already, and with Wakko gone… seeing Yakko like that will make it feel like he’s gone too, because he won’t seem like Yakko anymore.”

Dr. Sratchansniff sighed. “I know, but at least it’s a step in ze right direction.”

Dot nodded and was silent for a moment before speaking. “Can we leave now?”

“Of course, meine liebchen. Let’s go say goodbye to Yakko and-”

“No, please, I just want to get out of here, get away from all of this. I can’t see him like that again.”

Dr. Scratchansniff nodded. “Alright. I’ll stop in his room to say goodbye for ze both of us. Vould you like to stay vith me so zat you’re not alone in the tower?”

Dot hesitated only slightly. And then, with a soft nod, she said “Yes, please.”

“Okay, let’s get going.”

Dot got out of her chair and Dr. Scratchansniff put a hand on her back to gently guide her. When they got to Yakko’s room they stopped and Dr. Scratchansniff went inside. He walked over to the bed to find Yakko curled up under the covers, and he could see the fresh tear marks on the boy’s cheeks. 

His heart broke for the two Warner siblings, both as one and individually for their own struggles. He stroked the boy’s head and planted a kiss there before turning to the bedside table to write a note to Yakko. He placed it on the small movable table for Yakko to read when he woke up, then turned to leave with Dot.

Meanwhile, Dot was stuck in her own thoughts. She knew that her family couldn’t go on this way much longer, not if they were going to make it out of this with a somewhat happy-ish ending. So she vowed to the moon and stars then and there that she would find out what happened to Wakko, no matter what it took, to save what was left of her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this far down! That must mean that you liked the chapter (or you had nothing better to do because, ya'know, pandemic and all)
> 
> Don't forget to leave a kudos and a comment if you enjoyed this chapter, or even the story over all. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos and/or comments! As I've said before, I love going back and reading all of them, and seeing an email for a comment gets me so excited.
> 
> Remember: Kudos and Comments can be exchanged for goods and services.


	9. Setting things into motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yakko is sent to the psychiatric ward at the children's hospital, Dot gets a sidekick and they begin their investigation, during which she finds something very, very special.

The car ride back to the tower was quiet as Dot went over all of the thoughts running in her head. She wished that she could take back the mean things she said to Yakko; he’d been feeling so horrible and she made him feel even worse, but the message was true; she couldn’t hold both of their weight anymore. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, and she couldn’t do it anymore. That’s why she made her promise. 

While Yakko was getting better, she’d solve Wakko’s murder. The only problem was that she didn’t know where to begin, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Scratchy would try to talk her out of it. There was only one adult she could think to ask, and she didn’t think he’d be too supportive of her doing this on her own either, but he would be the best person to go to.

* * *

When they got to the tower Dot jumped out of the car and rushed up to the balcony, leaving Scratchy in the dust. The first two things she grabbed was the SD card from Wakko's camera; the police had gathered all the pictures they needed and let Yakko and Dot keep the SD card, though neither had been brave enough to look through the pictures yet; they were afraid that seeing Wakko in the pictures would be too painful.

The second was officer Daniels's business card.

She put the two items in the small front zipper of her suitcase and began packing her clothes before Scratchy came into her room.

“Do you need any help?” he asked.

“No, but thanks, Scratchy,” she answered with a small, tired smile. She packed a few outfits, some pajamas and her stuffed rabbit that Wakko had given her. It had long ears, arms and legs, and was very easy to hug. She missed Eddie, but Jack was a close second; she loved all of her stuffed animals; especially the ones from her brothers.

After packing a few more essentials she let Dr. Scratchansniff guide her to the door and down the balcony to the car. When she got to Dr. Scratchansniff’s house she was going to take a nap; she had a lot of work to do tonight.

* * *

Dot waited until she heard Dr. Scratchansniff get into bed before beginning her work. There wasn’t much she could do while Scratchy was there, but she had to work with what she could. 

She had downloaded all of the pictures onto her computer, keeping the ones from the fight in a separate folder, and printed the ones that Wakko had taken during the fight. She was nervous; she didn’t have the first clue as to what she was doing or where it would lead her, but she was doing this for her big brothers, so she wasn’t going to let fear get in her way. 

Cautiously, she opened the folder containing the pictures from Wakko’s camera during the attack and maximized the screen. She looked at every photo very thoroughly, making little notes in a notepad she’d borrowed from Scratchy’s kitchen and circling things on the copies of the photos that she found suspicious. She must have looked like the beginning of a conspiracy theorist, but if that’s what it took to solve her brother’s murder than that was fine by her.

Because the pictures were so blurry it was hard to tell what she was looking at, but something did catch her attention; in the photo that everyone assumed showed Wakko’s sleeve and hat, she noticed that the red wasn’t one piece, but rather three separate pieces. Something red that appeared to be falling? What could that be? The picture was still far too blurry to tell, but she marked it on her photo and in her notes as well.

She continued to analyze the photos until she couldn’t keep her eyes open much more. She placed the photos and the notes into her suitcase and zipped it up before plugging in her laptop, which was almost dead by that point. The clock showed that it was almost three thirty in the morning, and as soon as her head hit the pillow she was out like a light.

* * *

Three days later, once the doctors had deemed him healthy enough to be transported, Yakko was moved to the children’s hospital. Scratchy had come to ride with him and help get him settled once he got there. Dot didn’t come. She hadn’t been back to see Yakko since the first day; instead Scratchy had been dropping her off at the movie lot for the day while he’d go visit Yakko.

It hurt, he wanted her there more than anyone else, but at the same time a small part of him was relieved she wasn’t there; he didn’t want her to see him like this, not after the way she’d seen him the other night while he was seizing on the bathroom floor, not after the way she’d seen him in the hospital all hooked up to wires and machines. No, she’d seen enough of him like this, she didn’t need to see more. He was ashamed that she'd seen him like this at all.

The ambulance ride to the hospital was quiet. Dr. Scatchansniff would occasionally send a small smile his way or grab his hand supportively when he saw that the boy was getting nervous. Yakko would send a small smile back and he’d squeeze Scratchy’s hand when he took it; he was incredibly nervous considering that he was just going to a hospital ward for a while. Sleep in a small room, do group therapy, probably some relaxing activity or free time or whatever, nothing to worry about.

He still hadn’t spoken; not a single word. Whether it was because he didn’t want to or because he couldn’t, even he didn’t know.

Dr. Scratchansniff said that it was possible for someone to lose one of their main senses after experiencing something traumatic; whether they went mute or became blind or deaf; sometimes it was permanent, sometimes it was curable with therapy. Scratchy and Yakko both hoped it was the latter.

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital Yakko was wheeled into the building before being set free on his feet. A nurse came and guided them up to the psych ward, explaining the basic rules of the ward as they went; nothing sharp, nothing with chords or laces, any medications are locked away in the nurses station and distributed as needed, and they’d watch to make sure you take you meds instead of hiding them for an overdose. 

There were security cameras everywhere; even in the bathroom - which had no lock - though it was angled so that the toilet was out of sight, and there was a small, blurry space to change behind that only showed your shoulders up. There was a shared shower space with about six shower heads for all of the boys to use when needed, each in its own doorless stall. He wondered if the girls ward was like this; like a prison with pictures of plants and landscapes and motivational sayings hanging on the walls. He wondered if it was a place with no privacy. Despite his reputation for getting in people's faces, Yakko liked his privacy.

He was led to his room; a small plain room with two small beds, a thick glass window, the bathroom as previously mentioned, and a round-edged shelf where he could put his things. They’d already weeded through his things for anything that could potentially be used to harm himself. 

He understood why they had to go through everything with a fine tooth comb, but since he was the one they were doing it to, it irritated him to no end. He couldn’t even bring his phone in here! So not only could he not listen to his music, which was one of his main sources of relaxation, more importantly was that he couldn’t communicate with Dot like he wanted to, he’d have to wait until she came to visit. There was one cordless phone back in the nurses station that they could use to call family members, but their calls were limited and made at the counter, so, once again, there was no privacy.

He looked across the room to see the other bed was slightly unmade and the shelves were full of someone else’s belongings. That was what he hated the most; he had to share a room with a stranger.

With a sigh he set his duffel bag on the floor and sat on the bed. He’d gotten himself into this mess, though he hadn’t meant to get this far. He was pretty close to home, only about fifteen minutes away; the scene from his window was of an area he’d been in hundreds of times, but yet it felt like he was across the country.

Dr. Scratchansniff sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s just for a while, ja? Hopefully being here vill help you to feel at least a little better, and I’ll visit ven I get off vork, okay?”

Yakko nodded. He unzipped his duffel and took out a picture of Dot that Scratchy had brought him.

Scratchy sighed. “She’s still upset, but she’ll come around. I’m sure she’ll vant to come visit you, it may just take a few days. She vas very tired zis morning, she didn’t sleep vell last night. Und besides, you know how stubborn she is, she’s as bad as you are.”

The ghost of a smile turned up the corner of Yakko’s lips, but it soon fell away into the same tired expression he’d been wearing for a month now. It didn’t suit him at all; Scratchy much preferred his happy self; even if it was because they were picking on him, at least they looked like happy kids, not kids who were ready to collapse and give up. 

Dr. Scratchansniff glanced at his watch. “I need to get going now, Yakko, but if you need anything, just have ze nurses call okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He put his hand on Yakko’s shoulder as he stood up and looked down at the boy as he looked up at him. The sight broke his heart; it was like looking down at a small, scared child that was told to go back to bed alone after a nightmare. He didn’t want to leave him, but visiting hours were almost over anyway, and he had to stop and pick up Dot before going home.

Scratchy ruffled Yakko’s hair affectionately before walking out the door. He wanted to turn back; Yakko had looked like a kicked puppy when he turned to leave, but he had to keep going forward. He needed to let Yakko do this on his own, and he couldn’t if he had him there to lean on.

* * *

Dot had packed her work into a small backpack and threw it into her hammerspace before Scratchy took her to the lot. She had the freedom to roam of course; she'd lived on the lot for decades (even if most of it was spent in the water tower) and she knew the place like the back of her hand.

She knew that what she was doing required privacy; especially from studio employees that could report back to Dr. Scratchansniff, and that had been an issue the past few days; she’d seen employees keeping their eyes on her all over the lot. As it turned out, Ms. Norita had promised Dr. Scratchansniff that Dot would be under observation while on the lot until it was safe again, so she decided to do her work at the park that day. She was hesitant to go to the park alone, and she knew Scratchy - and definitely Yakko for that matter - would have an aneurysm if they found out, but this was important, and they couldn’t stop her; she’d had been allowed to come and go on and off the lot since they were let out of the tower, and they couldn’t take away that liberty away now.

When she got there, she decided to settle down in the maze-like flower garden. She took a seat on the soft grass before taking her backpack out of her hammerspace. 

Now that she had privacy away from the needle sharp eyes and ears of the lot, she could do one of the biggest and most important things on her list; call Officer Daniels. She needed some more information, and he was the best person to get it from. 

She dialed his work number and it only rang once before it was answered.

“Officer Edward Daniels." His answer was short and curt; he was a busy man after all, with important work to do.

As soon as she heard his voice, Dot's heart froze and a chill went down her spine. She hadn't heard his voice since the funeral, and it sounded so serious and official in that moment that it made her nervous, as though she were confessing to a crime herself.

"H-hello, officer Daniels, this is Dot Warner, do you remember me?"

There was a slight pause before she heard his voice again, this time much softer.

"Hello, Dot, of course I remember you. How are you and your family doing?"

"Not good," she confessed, "that's why I'm calling. I want to try and help solve Wakko's murder, and I wanted to ask if you could send me a copy of the case file so I can get a better idea of what we're dealing with."

There was another pause. "Dot, it's wonderful that you want to help solve your brother's case, but I can't give you a copy of the case file, there's confidential information in there that I can't share with anyone not officially on the case at this time."

"But I’m his family, and I want to be an official part of the team! I can be really observant, and I'll do whatever I need to to solve his murder."

"I don't doubt that for a minute, Dot, you seem like a very bright young lady, but I already gave you all of the information I could the night I went to your home. If anything changes I can let you know but for now I can't tell you anymore, and I can't let you be an official member of the team."

"But why not?! He was  _ my  _ brother!" As soon as Dot realized what she'd said she backtracked. " _ Is.  _ He  _ is  _ my brother."

"I know that, Dot, but you're only nine."

"But I've been nine longer than you've been alive! Technically I'm older than you!"

Officer Daniels sighed. “I’m sorry, Dot, but there’s nothing I can do. If you want to try and do this on your own I can’t stop you, but I can’t help you either.” He could hear her disappointed sigh on the other end of the line. With a sigh of his own he gave in, but only slightly; he wasn’t about to help put a nine year old in danger. “Look, Dot, if you really want to do this on your own, look into the information I gave you that night and see if you can connect some dots with that. That would be the best place for you to start, but  _ be careful.  _ I don’t want anything happening to you too, and I highly doubt your brother would take losing both of his siblings well.”

_ He hasn’t exactly taken losing the one sibling very well  _ she thought to herself, but she pushed the thought out of her head with a sigh. “Alright, I’ll try. Thanks, officer Daniels.”

She hung up the phone and stared down at her small file, suddenly feeling hopeless. How was she supposed to do this on her own? She didn’t know where to start, and she knew now that no adult was going to help her.

“Hi, Dot!” 

Dot gasped and jumped, startled, and her fur bristled as she looked to the source of the voice, only to find Skippy.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “What are you doing?”

Dot hesitated. Could she trust him? He was a good friend after all, and he was one of Wakko’s best friends, so she figured she could.

“Promise not to tell anyone?” she asked.

“Ooh, this sounds important. Yeah, I promise. What’s going on?”

“I’m going to try and solve Wakko’s murder. Maybe then Yakko will get better and won’t be so…” she tried to find the right word, “so  _ gone _ .”

“Oh wow,” Skippy said “that does sound important. I promise, your secret is safe with me. Do you want some help?”

“Really?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah! Wakko was my best friend, and if I can help bring down the asshole that did this to him, and to the rest of us too, then I want to.”

Dot smiled. “Great! The only bad thing is, I don’t have much to go off of; just these few images and what officer Daniels told me when they told us…”

Dot didn’t want to finish the sentence; she’d already said it too many times for her lifetime, but Skippy knew what she meant. “What did he tell you?”

“Well, he told us that they found DIP in the small room where they think Wakko was killed, they said they found a lot of his blood, his hat and the SD card from his camera there too, along with the broken camera, but none of that really gets me anywhere.”

“What else did he tell you?”

Dot thought for a moment. “He said that the K-9 unit wanted to split up; some of the dogs wanted to go to where Wakko was killed but some of them wanted to go to the docks. They weren’t able to find anything there, though, the dogs lost their trail when they got there.”

Skippy hummed to himself. “That still sounds weird to me.”

“Me too, but they checked the security footage and didn’t think too much of it, and none of the names on the owner and renters lists seemed to stick out to them.”

“Maybe not to them, but maybe something would to us. Maybe we can ask the people at the dock if they can give us a copy of the list! If they know why we need it they may give it to us.”

“Maybe, but I already asked officer Daniels for all of that stuff and he said it was confidential.”

“The police’s list is confidential because it’s part of an open case,” Skippy said with a small smile, “but there’s nothing wrong with us going to the docs to ask for ourselves now is there?”

Dot smiled. Skippy could be just as mischievous as his aunt, and that’s why they were all such good friends.”I suppose not. We have to do this quickly, though, Scratchy’s only gonna be gone for a couple more hours before he comes to pick me up, and if I’m not on the lot he’ll never let me leave his sight.”

Skippy hummed again. “Maybe you can sleep over at my house for a few nights, then we’ll have all day to work on this stuff!”

Dot smiled again. “That’s a good idea! I’ll call Scratchy and ask him and if he says yes then we can ask Slappy. Now, let's get down to the docks and see if we can get a copy of those lists.”

“Lead away, Captain!” Skippy said with a salute, and Dot laughed - genuinely - for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Slappy and Dr. Scratchansniff had both said yes; Dr. Scratchansniff was glad that she was starting to spend time with her friends again, and Slappy didn’t want to say no for the same reason. Besides, she’d always liked the chaotic kids.

Scratchy said he’d drop her suitcase off at Slappy’s after he was done visiting Yakko, so she and Skippy started towards the docks.

It was still light, so Scratchy wouldn’t be worried about them still being out when he got there, which knocked one issue off of their list.

Walking to the docs took a while, and the sun was just beginning to set when they arrived. They entered the shoppe and went up to the counter.

“Excuse me,” Dot said to the clerk, “we haven’t met before, but I know that the police were in here a few weeks ago asking for a list of the boat owners and renters here, and they needed those lists for my brother’s case. I was hoping that you would be able to give us a copy of those lists so I can help try to solve my brother’s murder.”

The clerk stared at her for a moment. “Wow, that was… a lot to take in all at once,” the clerk said. “Unfortunately that’s confidential information, I’m afraid I can’t give you that information.”

“But why not?” Dot asked. She was getting frustrated from always getting the same answer.

“Yeah, it’s not like we’re asking for their addresses or social security numbers! We don’t even know what these people look like, we just need names!”

“I’m sorry, kids, but I can’t give you that information. Now if you don’t need anything else, we're closing for dinner. We’ll be open in an hour if you need anything not related to a police investigation.”

Dot groaned in frustration as she and Skippy turned to leave the shoppe. The clerk followed them and locked the door before turning the sign to ‘closed’ and turning the lights off. Dot and Skippy saw the clerk leave out the back to head into the marina restaurant and Skippy got an idea.

“Hey, what if we go break into their computer and get the lists ourselves? I’m great at computer stuff like this. Maybe I can even get some security camera footage! The clerk said they’d be back in an hour, that should be enough time.”

“That’s a great idea! I’ll wait out here and keep watch.”

“Right,” Skippy said. He pulled a lock picking kit out of his hammerspace and picked the lock in less than a second. Dot waited outside and watched the area while Skippy worked inside. As she looked towards the water she felt an urge to go to it. She wasn’t sure why, but she was drawn to it. 

She walked to the edge of the docks and looked into the water, seeing nothing but the reflection of the sky and herself. But there was more to the urge. She knelt down and with only a moment’s hesitation, she pulled off her glove and placed her palm gently on the water’s surface. The water hardly even rippled, but she had the feeling that she needed to do this. She pressed her hand down ever so slightly and suddenly she felt as though she were placing her hand against something solid. She pressed slightly harder, to the point that the water covered about half of her hand. She swore she felt something press back. By pressing her hand deeper into the water it began to ripple slightly, then more and more. 

Dot didn’t understand how such little pressure could cause the water to ripple so much, but it got stronger and stronger until she couldn’t make out the reflection staring back at her. She was about to pull her hand out in confusion and shock but then the ripples began to slow and the reflection began to clear, and what she saw made her heart stop in her chest. Staring back at her on the other side of the water, with his hand pressed against her own, was the wavy reflection of her hat-less older brother.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared down at Wakko’s reflection, which was staring back at her with what she assumed was the same expression she had. She wanted to say something, God there were so many things she wanted to say, but she was too choked up. Tears gathered in her eyes and all she could manage to do was mouth ‘Wakko’. Wakko’s wavy reflection seemed to smile at her and mouthed something as well, but she couldn’t tell exactly what it was he’d said.

She finally managed to get past the lump in her throat as she let out a choked “I love you, Wakko.”

This time when Wakko’s reflection mouthed a response, she knew it was an “I love you too, baby sister.” The reflection was still too wavy to make out the words but she felt it in her heart.

Her nostrils were twitching and her lips were trembling as tears began to roll down her cheeks. 

“Wakko-” she choked out. A tear dropped into the water and the resulting ripple ruined the reflection, and when the water settled down she was met with her own reflection and a dark night sky.

No, no no no no no he had been right there, he’d been  _ right there! _

Dot reached down into the water as if Wakko were waiting just below the surface. She splashed around trying to find him, her crying getting harder and harder as she became more and more desperate to find her brother again.

“Wakko, Wakko!” she called as she searched under the water to find him. She was just about to jump in to look underwater for him when she heard Skippy behind her.

“Dot? What are you doing?”

Dot gasped, startled, as she sat upright and turned to look at him. She turned to look back at the water one more time, just in case, but he wasn’t there.

“Dot, are you alright?” Skippy asked.

Dot hesitated for a moment as she watched the water just a  _ little  _ longer, but she knew he wouldn’t come back, so she turned to face Skippy. She wasn’t sure if he’d believe her or not, but she decided not to tell him.

“I-I… I…” she choked out, but she wasn’t sure what to say. He’d been right there,  _ so close _ , and while she loved seeing him again, watching him disappear felt like losing him all over again.

Before she could try to think of something else to say she felt Skippy wrap his arms around her. It surprised her at first, but then she felt tears welling in her eyes again and a sob snuck it’s way out before she could stop it. She wrapped her arms back around Skippy and cried harder than she had since the funeral; everything she’d been holding in the past month came spilling out and it felt so nice to have someone there - some outside party - to offer a shoulder to cry on. Skippy continued to hold her tight until her sobs died down into occasional sniffles. When she pulled back she wiped her eyes.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Skippy said, “I understand.” He’d thought about asking what was wrong, but he decided to give her her privacy. “I got the list of names  _ and  _ a bunch of security footage, but we need to get out of here, the clerk will be back any minute now, and if they see that we’re still here they’ll get suspicious, especially because the front door is unlocked now. 

Dot hadn’t realized how much time had passed, but she nodded. “Yeah, yeah okay. Let’s get out of here.” 

The two of them took off, trying to avoid the restaurant's windows and any potential security cameras. Once they were past the restaurant they took off running back to Slappy's tree. It was dark out now, but it wasn’t late yet. Slappy had called while Skippy was inside the shoppe to see where the two of them were, and he’d told her that they were working on ‘something sneaky’, so she told him to be careful and to skedaddle if they got caught.

“Alright, let’s get back to Aunt Slappy’s and we can go over everything.”

“Sounds great, and thanks for your help, Skippy, I really appreciate it.”

“Of course, Dot. You guys are my friends, and I want to do whatever I can to help find out what happened to Wakko.

Dot smiled. “Well then, let’s go see what we’ve got.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter nine! Sorry this one took a little longer to get up, but it's up now!
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment and a kudos if you liked it! Your comments are my favorite part of writing fanfics, and I love seeing your reactions. So drop your feelings down below so I know if you want me to continue or not. Besides, what's the point in swimming in an empty pool?


	10. Determination to do something good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wakko sees his sister's reflection in a pond and the two of them can almost connect to each other.
> 
> Yakko faces his first day in the ward, and his guilt in a group therapy session, where he meets his roommate.
> 
> Dot and Skippy begin their first steps towards finding Wakko's killer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, gals and gender non-conforming pals!  
> I know this chapter has taken a while. I promise I'm not giving up on the story, I've just been under a lot of stress; between extensive, painful dental work, losing one of my jobs and having to put my dog down (which was the first time I've ever lost a pet besides a fish) I've had a lot on my mind and haven't been up to writing much.

Eddie and I decided we’d spent enough time in the meadow and decided to continue on. We walked in silence for a while as I processed everything I’d just experienced. How had Yakko been holding on to all of that? No wonder he was the way he was now; feeling that way for so long would have driven me insane too.

No, no, Yakko wasn’t insane, he was just grieving; I’d felt everything he felt, and grief and self loathing were the strongest of his emotions. It worried me though. Hopefully staying in the hospital for a while would help him.

I was worried about Dot too. I doubt that she’d gone back into his room that day, and I wonder if she went back to visit him at all. She had been so upset, and I wish I could have been there for her; she was my baby sister after all, and it was my job to help protect her and keep her happy.

I was so proud of her though. She’d taken on so much responsibility since I’d died and she did it all without being asked to do so. She’d stayed so strong for so long, and she’d be strong again, there was no doubt in my mind about that. Yakko too.

As Eddie and I continued to walk I noticed that the sky was rotating slowly from day to night. It hadn’t done that before, but I’d learned that small things liked to change themselves as they pleased here. The sky was full of stars and it was beautiful, there were even some shooting stars! The air and light pollution in Burbank made it hard to see  _ any _ stars, but seeing them like this was amazing, I could even see the milky way! It was breathtaking, and I could have laid there all night watching them, but a small light caught my eye and I turned to find a small pond with a faint but pretty blue glow.

I watched it cautiously before looking towards Eddie. He showed no emotion, as always, and said nothing. Looking back to the pond I felt the need to go over to it, but I didn’t know why. I walked over and knelt down at the edge of the pond and stared at my reflection. Without thinking about it I pulled off my glove and gently placed my hand on the water. It was like an instinct - I just did it. 

I had the feeling that something was supposed to happen, so I pressed my hand in a little deeper until my hand was halfway in the water. Then the water began to ripple. A lot. I didn’t understand what was happening but something told me that I wasn’t supposed to pull away, so I stayed exactly as I was. Finally, as the ripples began to settle and my reflection cleared, I realized why I was supposed to be doing this.

It was Dot. My reflection was gone, and in its place was Dot. She looked like she was just under the water’s surface, as though I could just reach into the water and touch her, but then I noticed the pressure against my palm, and I knew that the only thing keeping our hands apart was a thin sheet of water that refused to disperse. 

She was there; she was  _ so close,  _ I could almost feel her. I could feel as my eyes started to get wet. I couldn’t manage to do anything but stare, but there was so much I wanted to say. I could see the tears in her own eyes, and I wanted to wipe them away, but I didn’t want to do anything to disrupt her reflection.

She mouthed my name and I smiled; she could see me too!

“You can see me too,” I said, and I could feel the tears in my eyes. 

I could see as she got choked up; she looked the way I felt. There was a lump in my throat and I had to sniffle a few times, but I felt so happy to see her again, and to know that she saw me too felt amazing.

I saw as she said something else, and I could understand it perfectly.

_ “I love you, Wakko.” _

I couldn’t help but let out a small sob, or was it a joyful laugh? Either way it held both happiness and sadness at the same time. “I love you too, baby sister,” I said. Despite my best efforts, the tears began to roll down my cheeks, and I felt a small strike of panic as one rolled off my chin and dropped down to the water.

The last thing I saw was Dot saying my name before the tear hit the water and ruined the reflection with a small sea of ripples. When they settled my own reflection staring back at me.

“No, no, no please no. Dot!” I felt around in the water, but there was nothing there. I had to be absolutely sure, she’d been  _ right there _ , so I fell into the pond and searched the entire area. It was a pretty small pond, about the size of a hot tub, and it wasn’t all that deep, but I searched every space until I felt two stubs grab me under the arms and pull me out of the water.

Before I could even respond Eddie said  _ She’s not down there, Wakko, it was just a reflection. _

“But from where?! How could I see her reflection if she wasn’t there, and how could she see me?! I can understand it here but there, in the living world?! That isn’t possible!” 

_ I don’t know, Wakko. I don’t know any more than you do. I suppose it was just supposed to happen. _

"But why?!" I wiped at my face, pretending it was for the water and not the tears that were still falling. “I wish things would just happen instead of dropping little hints like this. Unless I can see _ and _ speak to my siblings again then there’s no point to this! It just hurts!” I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down after my rant, but it only made me hyperventilate and cry harder. 

I looked at Eddie. “Eddie,” I started, and I hesitated as I tried to figure out just what I wanted to ask, “is there any pain in Heaven? Is there any heartache? Because I don’t want to feel like this anymore.” Tears rolled down my cheeks as I spoke. “I’m so tired of missing my family. I’m so tired of knowing that I’ll never get to be with them again, or see them again, or hug them or talk to them and that if I do it’s just little flukes like this one. I want the teasing to stop; everytime something like this happens it just makes it hurt like the first time all over again!”

Eddie came closer and I hugged him tight, burying my face into his fur as I cried.  _ I don’t know, but I don’t think so. The humans seem to think that heaven is some sort of paradise where there’s nothing but happiness. _

"I hope so," I said as we sat by the pond, and I sniffled as I wiped my eyes, "and I hope that Yakko and Dot can be happy too. None of this is their fault, they shouldn't have to be the ones who suffer the consequences. Andy's the one that did this,  _ he's  _ the one who should hurt, not my family."

_ Maybe one day he'll get what he deserves. _

" _ Maybe _ isn't good enough. He needs to get what's coming to him. Who knows how many others he's done this too; what if I'm not the first? What if I'm not the last? Something needs to be done so that he can never hurt anyone again." I stood up and looked down at Eddie with a sense of determination stronger than I'd ever felt before. "I'm not going to sit back and watch as he hurts other people."

_ What do you plan to do? _

"I have no idea," I answered honestly; I couldn't touch him or push him or throw things at him; that one time with the pill bottle had been a one-time thing, "but I swear that I'll do whatever I can to give him what he deserves before I move on to heaven. For my siblings."

* * *

Yakko sat alone on his new temporary bed, unsure what to do with himself. He could unpack, but that would mean forcing himself to accept the fact that he was staying here, which meant that he  _ needed _ to be here. He knew he hadn’t been handling Wakko’s death well; hell he hadn’t been handling it at all, he’d been hiding from it and forcing Dot to deal with it for both herself  _ and  _ himself.

That feeling of guilt started to creep back, followed closely by anxiety. What if she didn’t come to visit him? She hadn’t while he was in the hospital, what if she didn’t while he was here? He wouldn’t blame her, he’d been so unfair to her and he knew Wakko would be ashamed of him if he were still here.

But he wasn't here

No, he was dead and his body was God knows where. He’d never be ‘here’ again.

Before his thoughts could pull him down any further there was a knock on his door.

“Hello, Yakko, I’m Dr. Reiley, the therapist for the ward. We’re just about to start our group session, and I’d like you to join, please.” Yakko gestured to his throat, confused. Why join the group meeting if he couldn’t participate? “That’s what this is for,” Dr. Reiley said, and she handed him a tablet with an artificial voice system set up. “You can answer however you feel comfortable, but it’s important to join group sessions, especially when you’re new.” 

She held an arm out towards him as a gesture for him to get up and leave the room. “This will be a good way to meet the others here, including your roommate, Liam. He’s very nice, and I think you two will get along very well.”

Yakko didn’t respond (he didn’t know how to, he’d never imagined himself in this scenario), he just kept walking down the hall. Doctor Reiley led him through the commons room where activities were held and into the opposite end of the boy’s ward, where he was met with a circle full of other boys, all of whom turned to look at him as soon as he stepped inside the room. 

Yakko had never been shy - hell he’d be the first to be social or get in someone’s face - but he felt like a deer in the headlights with all of these people staring at him here, in the psych ward. Some of the others were whispering and he’d heard someone mention Animaniacs, and he heard Wakko’s name mentioned several times - it was obvious to anyone who’d watched the news what the root of his problem was - but just looking at the group made him feel unbelievably anxious; it was the most social he’d been since Wakko had died and he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

Dr. Reiley gently guided him to an empty chair which was, thankfully, next to her own. Some part of him deep down was embarrassed; he felt like a little kid being dropped off for their very first day of school that didn’t want to leave their mommy’s side.

“Alright everyone, welcome to group, I’m glad everyone could make it this week; Micheal, it’s good to see that you’re feeling better and were able to join us,” Dr. Reiley said, smiling towards a boy who must have been Micheal. “We have a new member joining us today, Yakko Warner,” she said, and she paused as everyone said hello. He suddenly felt like he was in an AA meeting and should have said something along the lines of  _ Hello, my name is Yakko Warner, and I’ve gone insane.  _ “Yakko, would you mind telling everyone what happened to bring you here?”

Yakko didn’t know what to say - or type for that matter. He just sort of looked around at all of the eyes on him and felt his anxiety begin to rise. Dr. Reiley seemed to pick up on this. 

“It can be hard to let yourself into a vulnerable position; especially when you’re in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar places. However, it’s important to be open about how we’re feeling, and the best way to do that is to let out whatever is pulling you down in the first place. Everyone here has been in your spot before; in fact, would anyone mind volunteering to share their own story? Sometimes it can be easier to share when you’re not the first one to do it.”

A boy a few seats down raised his hand.

“Ah, Liam. Yakko, this is Liam, he’ll be your roommate while you’re staying with us. Liam, would you mind sharing what happened to bring you here?”

“Sure thing, Dr. Reiley.” Liam said, and Yakko could tell by his tone that he’d told his story before. It made him wonder how long Liam had been here.

“I came from a bad home. My parents were both drug addicts, and neither of them could hold a job so we lived in the slums; gunshots and sirens were so common that when I first left, it was hard to sleep without them.” He paused for a moment. “I got lucky; I was born healthy, somehow, but my older brother was born addicted to heroin, and he had a lot of health problems, both mental and physical, and he even stayed here a few times.”

Yakko watched as Liam took in a breath. “He died six years ago from a stroke. We weren’t super close; as harsh as this sounds, his behavioural and mental issues made it hard to be around him. I tried, but it was hard. I regret not trying harder now; he couldn’t help the issues that he was born with, and it wasn’t fair that he had to be born with them because of our parent’s bad decisions. It was hard to lose him, and I wonder a lot about what he would have been like if he’d been born healthy."

Liam paused again, and he twiddled his thumbs as he looked down at the carpet. “I lost my mom too; overdose. You see, my dad was actually a toon, so he had access to a lot of drugs that humans usually can’t get their hands on. Since toons can handle much more than humans, these drugs are strong -  _ very  _ strong - compared to human drugs. My dad got his hands on a drug called ‘whiplash’. My mom overdosed on her first try. Losing her hurt too; she may have been an addict, but she was still my mom, and she loved me as best she could. Then I was left alone with my dad.”

Yakko saw a shiver run down Liam’s spine, and could see that he was shaking slightly. Dr. Reiley seemed to notice as well, but Yakko supposed that she’d heard this story before and already knew what had happened. “It’s alright, Liam, you’re safe here, you don’t need to hold back.”

Liam nodded and Yakko saw as he flashed a quick glance in his direction before speaking. “My dad ignored me for the most part; he’d drink, he’d get high, he’d go out or he’d pass out somewhere. Overall, we didn’t really pay any attention to each other. That is, until he got a call from the school telling him I’d gotten into a fight because some asshole saw me kissing another boy.”

“Language, Liam,” Dr. Reiley scolded lightly.

“Sorry, ma’am. Anyway, my dad got the call and lost it. When I got home that day he beat the sh- crap out of me; broke two ribs, my nose and busted up my face. That was last year, and I was put into foster care shortly after, and my foster parents are good people, but I have problems from the PTSD, like lashing out and having a hard time letting my guard down, especially around new people. I stayed away from everybody when I first got here; I wouldn’t let anyone within four feet of me - that way they couldn’t hit me or touch me, or whatever else- and if they tried I’d lash out at them, sometimes physically. But being here has helped a lot, and I feel safer here and with my foster parents than I ever have before.”

The others in the group started to clap lightly, so Yakko did too; he still wasn’t sure how any of this worked.

“Thank you for sharing, Liam. You’ve had some truly awful experiences, but it’s important to work towards a healthy coping mechanism, and you’ve been doing a wonderful job.” Dr. Reiley looked back at Yakko. “Yakko, do you think you’re ready to share your story? Remember, you can share whatever you’re comfortable with, but it’s important to be as open as you can.”

Yakko paused for a moment before looking down at the tablet. One way or another, he wasn't getting out of here if he didn't participate, so he started to type, and the tablet spoke the words for him with an automated voice.

"My name's Yakko Warner. I was committed for a suicide attempt after my little brother died."

Yakko could see the sympathy on the others' faces.

"We’re all sorry for your loss, Yakko," Dr. Reiley said sincerely, "would you feel comfortable sharing more about what happened?"

Yakko felt unsure; the idea of talking about what happened to Wakko - or at least the little he knew about what happened - felt like he’d be sharing one of Wakko’s secrets. He didn’t feel comfortable sharing details about what happened because it was private regarding his brother, but he glanced at Liam; he’d shared private details about what brought him here, he’d even volunteered to do it to make Yakko feel more comfortable, so he felt like he owed it to at least Liam if not everyone there, who had more than likely shared their own stories before as well.

He began to type again. “He had left for summer school that morning, and he was upset because he didn’t want to go. His friends said that he went to the park after he was done for the day, but he never came home, and he wouldn’t answer his phone. After a few hours we involved the police. After a few days they brought out the K-9 unit for help. They ended up finding a small room underground with some of my brother’s belongings and a lot of his blood. They found DIP too. They still haven’t found his body, but they found a few pieces of it; one of his ears, a finger and a piece of his tail. We have no idea what he went through that night, and we may never know if they can’t find his body.” 

Yakko hadn’t realized that he was crying until the boy sitting to his left handed him a small box of tissues. He gave a small nod of thanks before wiping his eyes and blowing his nose. “I feel so guilty. He was my baby brother, and it was my job to keep him safe and look out for him, but I failed him, and now he’s dead, and we don’t even know what he had to go through, but I know he was scared, and I know he wanted me to help him. I know because I heard him calling for me, very faintly. I’d been out on the balcony watching for him when I heard it. I thought I’d imagined it, it was so faint. But it wasn’t my imagination, it was him calling for help, and I did nothing, even though I knew something was wrong. If I’d gone looking for him, maybe he’d still be alive. But I didn’t; I didn’t even try, and he died alone and scared.”

He stopped typing for a moment and took a deep breath as more tears blurred his vision. He took another tissue and wiped the tears away, but it wasn’t long until his vision was blurred again. “I went numb afterwards, and my little sister had to take care of everything while she was grieving too because I couldn’t even get myself out of bed. Then I did the most selfish thing I could have done to her; I tried to kill myself. After everything she’d been through, between losing Wakko and having to take care of everything on her own, I almost left her all alone. I’ll never forgive myself for that either.”

Yakko wiped at his eyes with his gloved hand before looking to Dr. Reiley to let her know that he was done. 

“Thank you for sharing, Yakko. I know that must have been hard to bring up, but talking it out will help you learn to handle your grief in a healthy way,” Dr. Reiley said gently. “You'll have a chance to go over your grief more during our therapy sessions, and you'll be able to delve a little deeper into your story and how to handle it. Just remember that we're all here for each other, and we don’t judge each other for what we’ve been through," Dr Reiley said gently. "Now, last week we talked about healthy coping mechanisms. Would anyone like to share an example of what they did to help them through a negative situation or feeling in a healthy way?”

Yakko tuned out a bit as his mind stuck to Wakko. His guilt was still as fresh as it had been at the very beginning, and he didn’t think anything would be able to take it away. He caught a slight movement in his peripheral vision and looked over to see Liam watching him. As soon as he looked at Liam, Liam looked away. He watched him for a moment and sure enough Liam peaked back at him. They locked eyes and Liam’s expression was easy to read; it was one that said “shit, he caught me”. With a slight hesitation, he gave Yakko a small smile and wave. They were going to be roommates, so Yakko waved back with a small smile that he was sure looked unconvincingly pathetic.

Apparently it was good enough as Liam’s smile grew a little and he looked back to the group. Yakko knew he was curious for more details about what had happened, both with Wakko and the overdose, but he didn’t think he’d ask. Either way, he’d get a better chance to get to know the boy later when they had some free time, but for now, he turned his focus back to the group as some of the other boys shared the coping mechanisms they’d used to help in negative situations.

* * *

Dot and Skippy ran through the door to Slappy's tree house just as the sun finally set, both panting from running so far.

"About time you two showed up," Slappy said, "dinner's ready. Oh, Dot, the doc dropped your stuff off, I put it upstairs in the guest bedroom."

"Thanks, Slappy," Dot said, and Skippy hid their evidence in his hammerspace as they sat down at the table. Slappy put a plate of meatloaf, macaroni and mashed potatoes in front of the kids. "There ya are, eat up." She took her own seat and looked to her nephew. "So, am I allowed to know what this 'something sneaky' is?" 

Skippy and Dot shook their heads. 

"Nope. Sorry aunt Slappy, but that's confidential information."

"Ah, I see," the old squirrel answered. "As long as you're being safe and not getting yourself into any trouble."

"You can't get into trouble if you don't get caught," Dot said, and Slappy smiled. 

"I always liked the way you kids think," she said, and that was the end of that conversation.

Dinner continued on with light banter, but inside Dot and Skippy were anxious to get to work.

Once dinner was over Dot and Skippy ran upstairs and into Skippy’s room before locking the door. Skippy pulled out the documents and a small flash drive.

“This is the list of owners and renters,” he said as he handed Dot the papers, “and this is the security footage. It starts the morning that… well, you know.” Skippy went over to his computer and plugged the flash drive in. “I figured we could go over the names and see if we recognize any while this downloads, then we can check out the footage.”

“Sounds good to me,” Dot said, and she and Skippy sat down on Skippy’s bed. They each took a stack of papers to read over, but there was more information than Dot had thought there would be. Instead of just names, there were names with dates and times that they’d rented their boats, names of owners, what dock slip they were in, their next payment date with how much they had to pay, drivers license information; just about any information they could ask for aside from social security numbers. One of the boats listed was named  _ La Vie en Rose,  _ and for the next half hour she quietly hummed the Edith Piaf song to herself in her head.

They took the extra information in, but it made the process much longer. They had pencils and papers to make notes, but so far nothing really stuck out to them. 

Nearly four and a half hours later they had about a third of the list left, but their eyes felt as dry as the desert.

Dot let herself fall back and let her head hit Skippy’s pillow. “God, I can barely keep my eyes open,” she said.

Skippy rubbed at his own eyes. “I know what you mean, my eyes are so dry. Maybe we should stop for the night? We’re not gonna make much progress if we’re this tired.”

Dot didn’t even bother to try and open her eyes. “I guess you’re right. Besides, we’re almost done, we can finish in the morning,” she said as she forced herself to sit up. “Besides, we’re almost done; we can finish in the morning.”

“Yeah, and then we can start on the security footage.”

Dot forced herself to stand up. “Good night, Skippy.”

“Goodnight, Dot.”

Dot walked to the door, but before she walked out she turned back to her friend. “Thanks again for helping me with this, Skippy.”

Skippy smiled sleepily. “You’re welcome, Dot. Thanks for letting me help.”

Dot smiled back and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. When she got to the guest room she changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, and as soon as her body hit the bed she felt as sleep seemed to pull her down into slumber.

The last thing she thought before she fell asleep was  _ Don’t worry, Wakko, we’re going to solve this for you. _

Little did she know that far, far away, in a realm between the living world and the afterlife, her brother - who was laying on a grassy hill with his bear friend watching the stars - answered back.

_ I know you will, baby sister. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! I'm so happy that you all like this story so much. If any of you ever make any art based off this story, I'm MorbidMotive on tumblr, so be sure to tag me so I can see it! I've had people not tag me in their art and I had to see it by happenstance, and I love to see it!
> 
> As always, be sure to leave a kudos and a comment if you liked this chapter, or even about the story in general. Like I said in the beginning, I've been going through some shit, so I hope this chapter is satisfactory. I've read through it a few times and I'm happy with the final draft here. I hope you are too! 
> 
> So leave a comment so I know that y'all still enjoy the story! After all, why buy a lamp with no electricity?

**Author's Note:**

> So there's the beginning of the story. I feel emotionally invested in this story now. My poor sweet babies.  
> Please make sure to leave a kudos and a comment if you liked it!  
> Comments always inspire me to keep the story going, so if you want more of this story, drop a little comment so I know that you guys like it :)


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